Ever After
by ghaaaaaaaaaa
Summary: They were heroes. They fought to save the world, and they did. They overcame hardships and trials to gain victory and become even stronger. But, unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairytale. A cripple, a criminal, a killer and an alcoholic. That is who they are now. And no matter how strong they are or how many challenges they overcome, there are always more. Always.
1. Chapter 1

They were heroes. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. They trained and they fought and what's more, they won. They fought the armies of Grimm and held them back. They battled the White Fang and brought them down. And they fought Cinder and her allies and prevailed. They were not the only ones. They had many allies who aided them, and some who sacrificed for them. But in the end, they were the heroes. In the end, they led the charge and showed that their power surpassed that of their foes. They started as very flawed Huntresses. Ruby was immature and reckless. Weiss was entitled and struggled with her inner demons. Blake hid in shadows, her secrets and her mistakes haunting her. And Yang tried to be the one to keep everything together, not knowing what it would do to her. But they grew. They became strong, stronger than anyone thought possible. They truly were the classic heroes. They possessed power few could even dream of, overcame their personal struggles, and fought battles many would run from or outright lose. But unlike the classic stories, they didn't get their happy ending. They thought that they had. They were famous. They were loved and admired, and they were closer to each other than ever before. But it all fell apart. Fame brought them suffering, in the end. If they did a single thing wrong, made a single step out of line, they would pay for it. And they did.

* * *

Weiss held out the longest. She knew how to tread on thin ice. She knew how to appease people, to act like she was perfect. She knew what people wanted from her, and to get what she wanted from them, she would gladly put on her act. But it all came tumbling down, just as it had for the others. And it was all because she had defied orders. She had taken her one step out of line.

* * *

The cliffs were barren and rocky. Gray was the only thing in sight. Gray rock, gray sky, gray fog. It was known as the Pass of Grimm, and Weiss and her team of elite Hunters and Huntresses had been assigned to defend it. There were Grimm on the other side. They walked towards the frightened warriors, who stood with admirable courage, knowing that their mission was one of suicide. Weiss stood at the head of the group. Above her was a sky that seemed empty. Below her was an abyss that seemed hidden, fog swirling around it as if beckoning to stare into it, eager to stare back out. And across from her was a slim bridge of gray rock. It started wide, curved inward in the middle, and when it reached the other side of the abyss, it was wide again. The Grimm grew closer to it, ready to charge. Weiss knew that if they did, there would be no stopping them. Among them were no weaklings. The weakest Grimm there were the Death Stalkers, and even they were difficult to kill. Weiss figured she could solo five without trouble, ten or eleven before she was slain. Of course, her fellow soldiers, while very skilled, were weaker than the former heiress. She had fought the darkest of Grimm and the strongest of foes. And even then, there were limits to her power. There were enemies she could hardly take on by herself, but she brimmed with pride knowing that in a one on one fight, even the strongest of the Grimm there would fall to her. Knowing that meant nothing, she shook off her pride and began to focus.

"Weiss...we can't beat them. There's no way. There's practically an army there!" A blonde man with strong yet smooth features said with more than a little fear in his voice. He had a weathered shield, a scratched sword, and dirty armor. Jaune Arc had come a long way since Beacon. He wasn't in Weiss' league by a long shot, but he had been trained by Pyrrha Nikos herself, and so knew many things about battle. His skills were quite famous, and his Aura was among the strongest Weiss had seen, certainly stronger than hers.

"I know."

"They're gonna kill us and move on to the city."

"I know!"

"...Sorry," he said sheepishly. His and Weiss' teammates remained silent. Even the orange-haired Nora had nothing to say, considerably maturing in her older years. Of course, considerably, for Nora, meant far less than it did for others. She bounced on the balls of her feet, twirling Magnhild like a baton, ready to fight. She flexed her muscles and blew at a tuft of hair in front of her face. In her less distracted moments, Weiss couldn't help but be impressed at how prominent her muscles were. She was more bulky than Yang, and she had more muscle than even some strong men. She grew more jittery as the Grimm neared while Weiss thought furiously. The numerous worry lines on her face curved inward as she frowned, her eyes narrowing at the Grimm who approached.

"This was a suicide mission and the damned bastard knew it," Weiss snarled to herself as she thought.

"Uh, Weiss?"

"What is it, Jaune?" The white-haired woman said testily, turning to her meek blonde friend.

"Uh...need any help?"

"If you have any ideas, or anything constructive to say at all, I'd love for you to grace us with your words. However, if you are simply going to waste my time, kindly hold your damn tongue," Weiss spat, not caring for manners or politeness. She was too deep in thought. Jaune shirked back and sighed. He knew he was pushing her buttons, but he wanted to help her. Even with all of his strategic skill, he found it pathetic that he couldn't find a way out of this. He knew that the bridge couldn't be destroyed. The rock here was strong, too strong to break, and it didn't help that the bridge had multiple foundations that were scattered below it. As he thought, Nora took a few steps forward, as did some of the more headstrong members of the group. Weiss turned at them, her gaze deadly. They stopped.

"You are not dying here. Don't even think of going out on that bridge!" She snapped, clutching her rapier so hard her knuckles grew white. Her Aura flared up just a little bit, and she raised Myrtenaster above her right shoulder.

"We are not dying here. Not for this. Everyone, go. See if you can help the other units. I think I can seal off the bridge."

"Are you sure?" A black-haired man asked. His frame was stocky but powerful, and he held a round, cannon-like weapon with both hands.

"Very. Now go. I will not let any of you die for this stupid mission," Weiss said forcefully but kindly, the barrel of Myrtenaster spinning to what looked to be light blue. The warriors under her command quickly ran away.

"Good luck, fearless leader!" Nora shouted cheerfully. Weiss narrowed her eyes, ignoring her. She had to concentrate on the task at hand.

* * *

Weiss knew that using ice to block the bridge would deplete her light blue Dust cartridge. She had to make her ice thick, thicker than she ever had. And that would be the easy part. She also planned to use her glyphs to reinforce it, and that would be truly difficult. Weiss knew that one big glyph wouldn't work, as it wouldn't reinforce the ice barrier equally at all parts. She had to put many medium-sized glyphs along the ice, distributing the reinforcement equally across it. She hadn't usually had to create multiple glyphs at once, and was both eager and scared to try it. The possibility of failure crossed her many many times, but she kept banishing it with her trademark fierce confidence.

"I can do this. I will do this. I will," she muttered to herself. The Grimm were on the bridge now, and Weiss knew she had to act fast. Blue energy rose from the ground as she swung her blade downwards. It swirled to the bridge, spiking up with random bursts. Eventually, it all conglomerated into one massive square and shimmered before becoming a massive ice block, spanning the whole width of the center of the bridge and reaching back to a point that almost touched Weiss herself. She then wiped her sword aside and held out two fingers in her free hand. She moved her hand slightly upwards, and black glyphs with ornate snowflake symbols and pulsing blue energy shimmered around the ice, covering the entire back of it. The symbol of her glyph changed with her strength, and was now far more intricate and detailed. She grimaced with the strain of using so many glyphs and upholding them, and her grimace gave way to a scream as one of the Grimm slammed into her ice wall. She could practically feel the shock in her body, cursing her Semblance for being so connected to her physical strength. Another cry was elicited from her lips as more Grimm slammed into the wall. Her glyphs shuddered, and seeing them blink made Weiss even more determined. They shone brighter than they had before for a split second. However, another bout of pain racked her body and they went back to normal.

"Dammit!" Weiss kept her hand raised, but her sword hand was drooping, she herself was slouching, and her knees were buckling. Sweat poured from her face and fell onto her light blue combat skirt. She looked up as more Grimm slammed into the wall and she bit back a scream, drawing blood from her lip. She licked it away and swallowed it, disgusted with the idea of spitting it out. She almost grinned at how stupid it was to worry about such a thing during such an intense moment when her mind went blank as more pain erupted within her, rippling throughout her body. She shook with pain, but kept up her glyphs.

"Remember what Ms. Goodwitch said...focus on the glyphs. Channel your energy to them, keep your eyes away from-gah!" Weiss was interrupted as the wall was hit again by the rampaging Grimm. She was unable to repress her scream this time, and cursed herself for her weakness. Her free arm trembled and fell a few inches, but Weiss brought it up again. She knew that this was going to be a long, long night.

* * *

Weiss had walked back to the camp on shaky legs. Her breath was ragged, and she had even started bleeding due to the physical stress placed on her by using her glyphs. She had been standing at the bridge for an hour, enduring jolt of pain after jolt of pain. Even numbed, Weiss still felt as if she was being hit by a Death Stalker. Eventually, however, the Grimm left. She knew that they didn't waste too much time doing one thing; most Grimm liked to move around a lot. She was thankful that they left, even crying out in joy, but quickly composed herself and walked to the largest tent. Around her, the smaller tents were brown and plain, set up through Dust machines and were filled with modern conveniences powered by Dust. Weiss could have sworn she had heard a television at one point, and felt a pang of annoyance because of it.

* * *

Finally, Weiss found her tent; it was white and silky. She was quite happy with it. She may have been going out in the wild, but she saw no reason for her not to uphold her high standard of living. She had neatly arranged books and papers, but had few conveniences. Weiss had a refrigerator, a freezer, a bathroom. a washer and dryer and a Scroll, but nothing else that was powered by Dust. However, she spared no expense for her bed. It was large and had light blue covers with white silk designs on the edges. Her pillow was made of the finest satin and had, at Weiss' demand, the design of the snowflake in her glyphs. The sheets were similar to the covers but lighter, and the bed itself was made of polished oak wood with carved depictions of falling snow. Her bed also had a canopy which was a calming blue color, making her think of a clear sky. She shut her tent flap and went about changing into her nightgown, grunting with the pain it took to do so. She sanitized her wounds, bandaged them up, and fell into her bed, too tired to even put on the covers. Still, she was impressed that she had the strength to clean up and get into her nightwear. That was the last thought in her mind before she fell asleep.

* * *

Weiss was back in Vale, facing a thin old man with a graying mustache, a fully gray beard, and bushy eyebrows. He wore a black tuxedo with a white bow tie, and he had silky white gloves. After being congratulated and fussed over by her teammates, worried she had pushed herself too far (Nora had patted her on the back painfully at that point and she crumpled to the floor in pain, giving the orange-haired woman a fierce scolding), she had her group pack up their things and go back to the city. She hadn't been looking forward to it, and she was right not to. The man stared at her angrily for a few seconds before speaking.

"Weiss Schnee. I heard that you were a model student. Glynda Goodwitch had only good things to say about you. Professor Ozpin himself even gave you his recommendation. I thought that you would follow orders. I thought that you would be a model Huntress. I thought that, as one of the four heroes of Remnant, you would do your damned job!" The old man shouted, his wrinkles bending with his snarl.

"I decided that I was done blindly following orders a long time ago," Weiss responded.

"I wanted those Grimm dead! I asked you and your unit to kill every single one of them, and they still live!"

"You sent me and my unit on a suicide mission. I was not going to die for your revenge, and neither was anyone else."

"I don't care! I want those Grimm who lie beyond the Pass dead at my feet! I want their heads on my wall! I want the bastards that killed my wife, son, daughter, mother and father to be skewered so that I can look on their faces and be reminded that my family was avenged! That is the sole reason you were promoted, Weiss Schnee! I thought you were strong enough to get the job done. I thought you wouldn't defy me. But I was wrong, and Ozpin was right. You are defiant, and that defiance is damn troublesome," the old man spat, clutching his cane with such force that it shattered; his Aura had flared up. It was a light green color that seemed far too calming to belong to him. He had the quiet, frightened woman behind him hand him a new cane, and she immediately withdrew back to her position near the door of his office.

"So I've decided that you will be punished for your actions. I will have you ruined, Schnee. I don't give a damn that you're a hero. I don't give a damn that you're wealthy beyond my wildest dreams. You lost your power with the ruination of your company. Here, I have all the power, and I will use it to its fullest to see that I get closure and you get punished. You will work in the Trenches. You will be their leader. You will have the worst job in the entire Eastern Vale Hunting Branch, and you will never defy me again. And if you think you can change my mind, I'll have your optimism put to rest: My mercy died with my family." Weiss listened to the man's words, her eyes widening with rage and her mouth contorting into a terrifying scowl. She knew that Sylvester Bard was an unkind and ill-tempered man. She knew that he would hate her for robbing him of his vengeance. She knew that he was so blind and angry that he wouldn't see that she had made the right decision, and she knew that he would punish her. But she had never expected this. She hadn't even thought that she, Weiss Schnee, would be put in the Trenches. Because she was so shocked and angry, her judgment was clouded when she audaciously slammed her hand on Sylvester's desk, crushing it as her Aura flared. Half of it splintered and cracked.

"The Trenches? You're putting me in the Trenches? I know full well what they are. They're not just the lowest rung of the Hunting ladder, but they're also filled with criminals. Yes, criminals. The understaffed Hunting branches have taken to recruiting criminals who have been model prisoners. The Trenches is filled with murderers, thieves, and rapists, and you would put me in charge of them? You are a blind, stupid shit, and I would absolutely love for your heart to fail on your way to your lavish house you don't deserve, to the servants you don't deserve, to sleep in the no doubt comfortable and fashionable bed you don't deserve. I would squeal like a schoolgirl if you were to drop dead on the cold hard ground, and, right now, I would have no greater pleasure than to watch it all happen!" Weiss shouted, her voice resounding throughout the dark, wooden room and terrifying the meek woman by the door. She slumped against the wall, nearly fainting from fright. Weiss turned around, her skirt swaying as she walked haughtily away from Sylvester and pushed the door open. Sylvester himself glared after her, not shocked by her insults, but certainly angered by them.

"Schnee? You know, I can always take my own creative liberties as to why you're being so suddenly demoted. I said that I would ruin you, and I will." Weiss heard him, but didn't care. She was angry, too angry to worry about her career. Sylvester had wanted her to willingly march to her death with her friends behind her. He was blinded by revenge and hatred. He reminded her of her father, with his unrealistic expectations and rage, rage he took out on his daughter. His shallow wife cared little for her daughter's pain, and her father cared far too much. And there was no one Weiss hated more than her miserable father, who she had wasted her entire childhood and teenage years trying to please. She had decided she was done with him and her family years ago. Seeing Sylvester had always stirred up those memories, but on this particular day, they came to her full force, and they made her angrier than she had been for a long time. She had broken free of the chains of her childhood trauma, but the fact that those chains had existed in the first place angered her to no end.

* * *

"It has recently come to light that Weiss Schnee, one of the four heroes of Remnant and leader of the First Division of the Eastern Vale Hunting Branch, is being relocated to the Trenches. Commander Sylvester Bard told reporters that she had fled from a very important mission, leaving her unit to fight for themselves. Because of her dishonorable actions, her relocation was put into place immediately, and her actions have caused her to be considered a criminal by the law. Rumors have surfaced that she now lives in..." In Ruby's mind, the reporter trailed off. The large, dirty, Dust-powered television blared, but Ruby heard no words.

"Weiss...she wouldn't do that! There's no way!" She said angrily. Ruby looked down, her red hair falling into her face. Next to her, Yang brushed her hair aside and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Of course not," she said. Her mind took her back, way back, to when Weiss had saved Ruby in the Emerald Forest during initiation. She didn't know why such a memory came up, but it did, and that memory told her all she needed to know. Weiss had saved a girl she hated that day; she would do the same for her friends without a second thought. She wouldn't abandon them.

"But then...why is it on the news? And why is she being relocated to the Trenches? Did she make her boss angry? I can see her doing that," Ruby sighed.

"Probably. You know Weiss."

"But the Trenches? Why the Trenches? This isn't fair at all. We need to say something to this Sylvester guy! Whatever Weiss really did, there's no way she should be put there for it!"

"Like you said, she probably pissed off the wrong people. For a natural suck-up, she's got a short temper," Yang sighed.

"But..."

"Jeez, you need to grow up! Sometimes life can be a bitch," Yang said jovially, trying to cheer up her sister.

"Hey, I started watching the news, didn't I? That's pretty grown-up!"

"You did...last week," Yang said slyly.

"Well...the news is depressing!" Ruby said grumpily. Yang couldn't disagree.

"Life's depressing sometimes, sis. You've gotta bear with it."

"I'd rather play video games..."

"I thought you'd rather find a job," Yang said brashly, instantly regretting her words. Ruby looked forlorn, her eyes wandering to the floor.

"I had one," she said sadly, her head drooping down again, her hair hiding her face. Yang bit her lip, cursing herself for being so tactless.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-" Ruby interrupted the apologetic Yang with a finger to her lips.

"It's fine, Yang. Really. I do want to find a job. Time to get going on that. I'm not gonna be dead weight anymore! Maybe we can buy a better apartment if I get really lucky!" She said, beaming. Yang smiled weakly.

"Yeah. Maybe." She grabbed her sister by the shoulders and pulled her towards her, embracing the younger woman. Ruby buried her face in Yang's shoulder, sandwiched between it and her long golden hair. She let her sister's hair fall over her like a veil, feeling peaceful and protected by her powerful older sister. Yang then let go, smiling widely.

"Hey, Ruby? Is it alright if I go out? With this whole Weiss thing, I feel like I need to do something to lighten up. Maybe take a run or something!" Ruby sighed as Yang asked the question. She did this often, and it was unnerving and more than a little suspicious. Some days, she didn't even come back from her 'runs' until the morning, and she promptly went to sleep. Ruby constantly wondered what her sister was really doing, but didn't do any further investigating. She, like Yang, enjoyed having some alone time sometimes, and her sister's outings allowed her to have just that.

"Fine. But can you please come back before the morning this time?" Ruby pleaded, her eyes catching her sister's. Ruby may have grown into a woman, but she still had the eyes of the adorable fifteen year old she used to be, and Yang just couldn't resist.

"Okay, okay. I will. See you!" Yang ran out of the shoddy apartment, with its creaking floors, ugly furniture, and small rooms. Ruby grinned for a few seconds before looking across the room. She saw Crescent Rose by the window, looking clean and deadly as always in its gun form. She tried to smile, but found herself silently crying as she pressed a button on her red wheelchair and steered herself over to her beloved weapon, her legs dangling uselessly above the wheelchair's footrest. She thought about Weiss again, her mind drifting back to the reporter. As she picked up Crescent Rose, she cried even more, letting out a small sob. Weiss didn't deserve to be in the Trenches. Recently, Yang had been going on her outings more often, and Blake was in prison, leaving only the kind white-haired woman to truly care for Ruby. Yang may be her roommate and be the only person on their lease, but in her darkest hours, it was Weiss who she felt was truly by her side. She decided to call her white-haired friend in a few hours if Yang didn't come back. She'd clear everything up, and maybe help Ruby find a job.

* * *

Yang walked through the crowded, glittering streets of Vale. During the day, everything seemed plain, but during the night, the city lit up like a lightning bug, illuminating the lives of the people who lived in it. But for Yang, there was no illumination. Not anymore. Her fire had gone out; her light had dimmed. Ruby had lost the use of her legs, Blake had been arrested for murder, and now Weiss' career was in shambles as well. Yang was sick of it. Team RWBY had been heroes, once. People had respected and revered them. But now, they were at the mercy of society. It was the fame of heroism that had put them in that position in the first place. She grew angry at the sheer cruelty of it all. They had saved not just Vytal, but all of Remnant from the greatest threat that it had ever faced, and in the end, not even that could save them. The world was a cruel place. Blake knew it well. She had always known and accepted it. Weiss did as well, although she had a harder time doing so. She was too stubborn. Even Ruby was growing more realistic. She no longer idolized Hunters and Huntresses. She no longer felt that life was 'unfair.' Even headstrong, idealistic Ruby Rose was growing accustomed with the world and how it could turn on its denizens at any second. As for Yang, she had realized that when Ruby was crippled. But she also realized that she could make herself forget. She could make her pain and suffering go away. She hated herself for it, and yet she did it anyway. Walking into the club, she heard the bartender groan.

"Not you again, blondie. First you wreck my place, then you wrack up a tab...if you-" Yang interrupted the man, grabbing him by the chin as the white and black club was filled with increasingly loud music.

"You want me to wreck your place again? No? Then give me the usual. And guess what? I can actually pay! Suck it, Junior," she said, handing the man some Lien. He massaged his chin and looked at the blonde with fear and hatred, but motioned for a lackey behind him to get her a drink.

"You really suck."

"Yeah yeah yeah." She looked eagerly at the black shelves full of booze, wondering how she would get herself drunk stupid tonight.

* * *

**Hello! This is my first story with this profile. I know that this chapter is pretty long, but I'm still hoping that someone will read it the whole way through.** **Aside from me, that is. Anyway, I really drew some inspiration from some of the very dark and awesome RWBY fics out there (I personally think that the darker RWBY fics get, the cooler they are) in this story. Basically, it's about the RWBY girls as adults after graduating from Beacon and fighting Cinder and her villainous squad. I wanted to go for the 'harsh world' vibe; team RWBY's members were all heroes, and yet they didn't get their happily ever after. For them, the world is a cruel and unforgiving place, and fame is a double-edged sword.** **I still don't fully know where I want to take this beyond that, though, although I do know what I want the heroines backstories to be.**

**Of course, I would absolutely love constructive criticism and advice**. **I have mixed feelings about this first chapter in general, so I'd appreciate feedback on the writing, setting, whether or not I'm keeping the four heroines in character, and anything else that anyone who reads this chapter feels could be better. **

**I don't know how often I'll update this, since this chapter took more than four hours to write, but I want to focus more on Yang for chapter 2. As for Ruby and Blake, I want to get to explain their predicaments soon as well, but since Blake's so mysterious, I'll probably take my time explaining what's going on with her. **

**Poor Ruby, though. I really screwed her over in this story. I feel like a dick.**


	2. Chapter 2

As the raven-haired woman looked at the younger woman of the same hair color, she couldn't help but wonder what was easier: holding the chin-up bar or doing the chin-ups. Blake Belladonna's fingers were gingerly wrapped around the metal pole stuck between the two protruding bits of gray wall, occasionally drumming along it as if she was exerting no effort at all. Every time she pulled herself up, the slender muscles on her arms hardly moved at all, and her chin went a good six inches above the bar. And she was doing all this with her feet crossed and her knees bent, not to mention that her focus wasn't even on her exercise. Blake was staring at a small, cracked television hanging from the center of the gray room.

"Weiss Schnee fled the battle, leaving her own teammates to fend for themselves. I thought that, as such a strong warrior, she would stand her ground...but it seems that she was more concerned with preservation than protection," a man in a smooth and expensive black tuxedo said to a woman holding a microphone to his lips. Blake snarled at him, letting herself fall, blocking out what the female reported said after the brief video feed.

"That had to be at least two thousand," Cinder Fall said, sounding impressed, although whether her awe was real or mocking was up to debate. She got up off of a chair sitting near the chin-up bar, dropping a two hundred pound weight from her hand onto the floor. It made a dull thumping noise, but both Cinder and Blake ignored it.

"Thank you for giving me your chair," Blake said, dashing into Cinder's chair before she could sit back down and protect her claim to it. Even with the standard-issue Dust chip that inhibited Aura and Semblance usage, Blake was ridiculously fast. Cinder chuckled and flicked a playful spark of flame at her. She didn't even flinch. She also couldn't help but be impressed at how, even with the chip, Cinder could still conjure fire. It might have been harmless fire, but it was still tangible.

"It's a shame what happened to the Schnee girl. I suppose she turned from white to yellow," she said, her voice calm and humorous. Blake answered in a far less amused tone.

"You know full well that Weiss didn't flee from anything. Don't try to get a rise out of me. It won't work."

"Oh my, you're touchy today." Blake said nothing in response. She stared at her black and gray prison uniform, the silver rectangle on her uniform proudly displaying her prisoner number, that number being 1337. It was obvious that Weiss had angered the man in the video feed, Sylvester Bard. She could see his face twitch when he mentioned the name Weiss Schnee. Whatever she had truly done, he was angered by it. Or perhaps it was what she hadn't done that had made him so furious. Blake sighed, knowing that for all of her talent in the way of buttering people up, Weiss' rebellious nature couldn't be contained. When she snapped, she was like a wildfire, growing so large and terrifying, asserting herself over everything around her. In that respect, she reminded Blake of herself.

"You know, I really don't enjoy having to carry these conversations myself," Cinder said, pretending to pout. Blake was still thinking. Cinder sighed with mock annoyance, coming up to the faunus woman and grabbing her nose between her thumb and index finger and pulling away swiftly but gently.

"Got your nose," she said. Blake looked up and stared at her blankly, glancing at her prisoner number, 2001.

"Oh well. At least I can't smell that disgusting cafeteria food now," she said, walking away after giving a last parting quip. Blake exited the room as Cinder chuckled, trying her hand at the chin-up bar. She and Blake had shared a cell for a while now, and while Blake hadn't forgiven Cinder for the destruction she caused and the things she tried to do to her friends, she found herself enjoying her former enemy's banter, and although reluctantly at first, she played along. Before, on their second day in the prison, Blake had tried to maim and possibly kill Cinder. Now they were exchanging in verbal jousts daily. Sometimes, they even had real conversations, and she learned that Cinder could be kind when she wanted to be. In fact, as Blake had learned when the flame Huntress had unveiled her master plan, she was actually a sympathizer with the faunus and even the Grimm, although her reasons for doing so were a little complex. But in the back of her mind, Blake knew one thing. If Cinder ever tried to harm her loved ones ever again, she'd be her enemy once again. Nowadays, Blake didn't show mercy to her enemies.

* * *

Weiss sat in her new quarters, using her fortune to make them as pleasant as possible. She had a large television attached to the wall of her small living room, walls that were dark blue and covered with small designs of snowflakes. Beneath her, Weiss could feel the warmth of a white rug, its fibers caressing her bare feet. In front of the television was a light blue couch with small, snowflake-shaped cushions resting on the sides. Behind that was a smooth wooden table with legs that looked like leafless trees, and on that was a large lamp with Weiss' Scroll resting against it and her cellphone resting against that. Aside from her living room, Weiss also had a white kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, all of which were small. Sylvester could ruin her career and force her to work in the most dangerous unit of the Eastern Vale Hunting Branch with criminals for teammates, but she had the money to at least ensure that her living space was nice. She sat on the couch, rubbing her feet into the soft carpet as she stared blankly at the television, her eyes fixed on Sylvester make false claims about her and defame her. As her mouth curled into a frightening snarl and she reached for the remote with which to change the channel, her cellphone rang. Weiss picked it up from its place on the table behind her and looked at the number, her hands practically scrambling over each other to answer.

"Hello?" Weiss said, her outer calm hiding her inner excitement. The number that had called her was none other than the number of the former Schnee Dust Company research department head. He had started his own company which was dedicated to researching and fighting diseases. The company had grown quite famous, partly due to the fact that Weiss funded it. She had gotten it off of the ground, and had given it the necessary Lien to grow and thrive in the business and research worlds. It was known as Snow White, Inc, commonly known as Snow, Inc for short.

"Ms. Schnee, hello. I would like to offer my condolences as to your new job. However, I have some...unfortunate news to bring you on top of what has already happened," a calm male voice said. Weiss' eyes widened, and she clenched her teeth, preparing for the worst.

"Is...is the no cure for Ruby?" She felt as if she was about to cry just by saying the worlds out loud.

"No, nothing like that. But I'm afraid that we will not be looking into her affliction any longer; at least, not for a while. You see, since your publicity from the news, people have begun to wonder if you're falling into your mother and father's old habits. While I am sure that you are doing no such thing, it is clear that people will look unkindly upon us, yet another company associated with a Schnee. Everyone remembers the first one, after all. So, in order for us to maintain our other sources of funding and and keep ourselves from going under, Snow White, Inc is no longer accepting funding from you. We are also forgoing all projects requested by you, and are no longer considered partners with you. I am truly sorry, but we cannot allow ourselves to lose our funding. You have allowed us to get as far as we have today, and I am grateful. We all are. But we are still a small company, and we need to do everything we can to grow. Perhaps when we can afford to, or if the misunderstanding regarding you actions on the field of battle is cleared up, we can allow you to provide funding for us and continue our research into your friend's affliction," the man said. He waited patiently for Weiss' response. At first, she was silent, and he considered hanging up. She sat on the couch, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging agape. And so, for the second time in less than a week, Weiss snapped.

"You...you would cast me aside like that? You and your stupid, shitty company would dare to cease your association with me, the woman who gave you everything you needed to become what you are today? I made this company! Without me, there would be no Snow White, Inc! There would simply be a group of men and women, stupidly trying to make something of their worthless lives! But your audacity and tactlessness and idiocy doesn't stop there, no! You would abandon Ruby Rose, the Ruby Rose who fought Cinder Fall and triumphed, who rallied Hunters and Huntresses from around Vytal in an effort to stand against the Grimm army, simply because I requested that you aid her? She is a damned legend, you moronic, heartless, pathetic bastards! You will try to find a cure for her whether I'm part of this company or not, do you hear me? She...I...she needs this...I need this. Don't you dare..." Weiss trailed off, the anger in her voice giving way to the sadness that lurked within. Her screeching stopped as her voice cracked, and she held her free hand to her eyes, wiping them, and scowling at the liquid she saw on them. Her scowl wavered as her lips trembled, and she found herself holding back sobs.

"Don't..."

"Goodbye, Ms. Schnee. We offer are sincerest condolences, and cannot express enough how much we regret this decision." With that, the man hung up, internally rattled by Weiss' abuse, and even more so by her breakdown at the end.

* * *

Weiss dropped her phone and it fell to the floor. Her hands fell to her sides, and, like a rag doll, she collapsed on the couch, her body lying parallel to the floor. She grabbed for a snowflake cushion, buried her head in it, and began to cry, sobbing so loudly and violently that her body shook.

* * *

As Weiss cried, she thought about what she would tell Ruby. She thought about how she would tell her friend that she had failed, that she had destroyed Ruby's one chance at regaining her legs, however slim that chance was. It hurt so much. Weiss hated failure. She couldn't stand it. She hated failing herself and, more importantly, her loved ones. She hated knowing just how unpredictable life was, and she hated knowing that she couldn't control it. She couldn't defy it, take it into her own hands. No matter how strong her grip was, life would always slip through the cracks in her fingers. But she knew, despite her desire not to. She knew that life was unfair. She knew that no one was entitled to anything; she had learned that the hard way. She knew that good people didn't necessarily have good things happen to them, but for her, this was too much. While all of team RWBY were lauded as heroes, it was Ruby who truly deserved the title. She had fought and hoped and dreamed, more so than anyone. She dared to think the impossible, to fight the unbeatable. She wasn't supposed to be weak. She wasn't supposed to be helpless. Ruby Rose fought when others would flee. She had no limit. She would go beyond even the sky, and that was what truly hurt Weiss. Her possibilities were crippled along with her legs. She always ran ahead, always led others. Now, she couldn't even walk. And since the project was done for, the chance she had at being able to do so again was gone.

* * *

This project had been Ruby's only hope after she lost the use of her legs. She had saved Jaune on that one mission, and the Grimm's strike hit her instead. But her wounds were far from ordinary. If she had been crippled any other way, Ruby would have been cured by now. But the Grimm released some kind of chemical into her legs. They could no longer work, not responding to her body at all. No doctor could give their use back to her. Weiss had no choice but to turn to the company she had helped get off the ground, and asked them to look into Ruby's legs and what exactly had been secreted in them. They found that it couldn't be extracted out, nor could it be seen on any sort of scan. It wasn't like it disappeared, though. The chemical had to be there somewhere, and there had to be a way to get rid of it. But if there was, no one would know.

* * *

"Alright, Shun!" Yang threw her hand over the blonde faunus, Sun Wukong, and he chuckled awkwardly. He had seen Yang at the bar and walked over to her. He aimed to have a drink to calm his nerves, and he decided that there would be no better way to do it than to drink with a friend. So he walked over to Yang, clapped her on the shoulder, and ordered them both a drink. As it turns out, she was far more drunk than he thought.

"Hey there, Yang. You, uh, feeling okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine! Don't you worry about li'l ol' me!" She finished her drink with a powerful gulp, and Sun could see that she'd spilled a good amount of beer on herself. She smashed her glass into the ground and it broke. One of the shards almost hit a poor man in the foot.

"I don't know...you seem pretty damn drunk."

"C'mon! I'm sho shober itsh ridiculoush!"

"That's not what it looks like from here," Sun said. He saw that there was a man walking over to Yang with a drunken grin on his face, and he gave the man a dirty look, which was enough to make him back off. While he knew that taking advantage of Yang would only end badly for anyone stupid enough to try, Sun didn't want her getting into any sticky situations. Even so, he was probably doing the man more of a favor than he was Yang by scaring him off.

"Wassha lookin' at, buddy? Shee shomethin' you like?" Yang moved her face into Sun's shoulder, rubbing her cheek against it clumsily.

"Hey, how long has she been here? And how many drinks has she had?" He asked the bartender.

"How the hell should I know? I don't keep count. She did paid for ten, though. I think you made it eleven," was the reply.

"Great. Hey, Yang-" Sun was interrupted when Yang moved her hand to his face, her index and middle fingers going in his nostrils.

"I really know how to pick 'em!" She chuckled, snorting on Sun's shoulder. The faunus tried to speak again, pulling her hand from his face, but Yang rambled on.

"Friggin flying donkiesh, always messhin' up my hair...hey, Shun! Gimme yer shtaff!" Suddenly, she jammed her fingers into his mouth and her head fell from his shoulder and onto his lap. She turned her face towards the area between his legs, and Sun quickly ripped her head and fingers away from him.

"Guess she doesn't mean my weapon...shit..." He sighed.

"Wash the big idea, Shun?" Yang asked, trying to grab Sun's face again. He pushed her hand away gently, and frowned. Now he had to get serious with her.

"Yang, what the hell are you doing?"

"I wash gonna make-" This time, she was interrupted by Sun.

"You are a drunken mess, lady, and I think it's time you left."

"Left? I'd rather right. Hehehehehe..." Yang muttered, her head falling down onto the bar table before Sun could catch it. Her hair got into Sun's almost finished drink, and he pulled it out.

"Come on, Yang. You're going home." Sun grabbed his drink, finished it off, and put some Lien on the table.

"Does she come here often?" Sun asked the bartender angrily. He nodded, and Sun's angry expression turned even darker.

"Cum...heheheheh..." Yang muttered, absentmindedly playing with her wet hair.

"Don't let her. If I find her in here again, drunk off her ass, I swear that I will break this entire fucking building. Do you understand me, asshole? I will rip your entire establishment to the ground," Sun snarled, reaching with the hand he wasn't using to support Yang to grab the bartender by the scruff of his shirt, who sighed.

"Ladies? This guy's giving me trouble," he said. As soon as he spoke, two girls, one in red and the other in white, stalked up behind Sun. He turned to see their faces, coated with make-up and plastered with unpleasant expressions. He would gladly fight them any other day, but today he had far better things to do, and also had a drunken Yang to take care of.

"Sorry, ladies. Just admiring the stitching on your boss' shirt. It's very nice. Or whatever," he said, stepping back and holding Yang tighter, as she began to slip.

"Stisshin? Wash 'at? Ish it sexshy? Can I-" Sun put a hand to Yang's mouth, silencing her drunken ramble.

"No talking," Sun said.

* * *

Sun, having no clue where Yang's house was and having no clue what the password to her cellphone was so that he could call Ruby, decided to let her sleep at his place. He had checked his contacts, and while Weiss, Yang and Blake were among them, Ruby was not. Having carried a now sleeping Yang to his bed, he decided that he would now go about his main order of business. He had his drink, and under his shirt he had his staff, coat, and mask. He was ready. He walked out of the dark green room, stepping over clothes and the occasional banana peel before he got to the door.

"Let's see...they should be coming by at midnight. Guess that gives me just enough time," he said, grinning. He had recovered from his unnerving experience with Yang, and was ready to make some jokes and steal some food.

* * *

Sun had heard from Nora that five members of an anti-faunus group were to come by a nearby alleyway with backpacks full of food that they had stolen from the poor faunus on the city outskirts. He was going to go over to them, beat them up, and bring back the food. He'd take it back to the faunus and consider his job done. Putting on his black ski mask, he stepped out of his hotel complex, into the alley next to it, and jumped up the walls, flipping onto the roof. He used his hands to flip his shirt back, and grabbed his staff and a small, messily folded trenchcoat. He hurled the staff into the air and slung the coat over himself, buttoning himself up so as to hide his civilian clothes before catching his staff. Sun ran across the roof and flipped, going farther than any normal human or faunus as he turned his body to the side. He landed, rolled off of his shoulder, and preformed another powerful leap as his feet hit the ground. He curled up into a ball, barely avoiding scraping the side of the building he intended to land on. It was at least twenty feet higher than the previous one, and it was a sign that he was getting into the wealthier part of the city. There, he'd find his targets. He just hoped that Nora was right about the time they'd be passing by.

"She never was good at math...or anything that required an attention span," he chuckled.

* * *

The phone was on the floor by her feet, yet she didn't want to touch it. Weiss stared at it for five minutes, which turned to ten minutes, which turned into an hour before she knew it. Her tears no longer falling, she decided that she had been waiting long enough. Ruby had to know. Weiss sniffled, rubbing her red, blotchy eyes, and picked up the phone.

"Alright, Weiss. Your time to cry is over. Time to be strong."

* * *

**Chapter 2 is complete! Taking into account some helpful feedback, I tried to give readers something to anticipate in the next chapter; Sun's antics and Weiss preparing to call Ruby. I also attempted to connect the characters' stories, or at least some of them. I still have a lot of plot and world left to build up and flesh out, but I think that may take some time.** **As always, I'd be more than happy to receive any constructive criticism, particularly on Weiss' breakdown. I wanted to show her in a more vulnerable light to show that she's only human and there's only so much she can take before reaching the breaking point. However, I feel like the scene may have been too wordy and gone all over the place, so I'd love for any feedback on how I handled that. Dammit, there's just so much I wanted to say! Finally, expect a lot of Ruby next chapter. I can only describe her so much without her actually being in the scene, so I'm going to bring her in and have her words and actions speak for themselves. **

**I'm also happy that I found a way to work Sun into the story, and a way to give Nora some more spotlight. I haven't actually seen any RWBY fanfiction that featured Sun in a prominent role. Hell, I don't think I've seen him in any fanfiction at all! I'm sure there is fanfiction with him in it, though; I just haven't read any. Well, anyway, here he is, getting hit on by Yang and a little more. I'm curious to know what people think of that scene, by the way. Yang gets really inappropriate when she's drunk.  
**

**On another note, Blake's finally here, and she's bringing Cinder with her! The two both have backstories that intertwine to some extent, and through the two and their conversations, I hope to explain more about why the members of team RWBY are known as the heroes of Remnant. I used their prisoner numbers to make fun references, too!  
**

**Okay, now I know that this is probably getting tedious to read, and I wouldn't blame anyone for stopping, but I just want to appreciate some great stories like 'I'm Not Perfect' and 'Stockholm Syndrome' that show a more vulnerable side of Weiss. It's a side of her that we haven't yet seen in RWBY, but there are a lot of stories like those that do Weiss justice both in their writing and characterization. They're very inspiring to me, a rabid Weiss fan.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Roman Torchwick stood in the middle of the room, wary of what was going to happen next. His feet gently stepped on the stone tiles on the floor and looked around, unable to see the dark walls that were made of stone as well. The entire room was stone; it was the basement of a run-down warehouse, and right now, it was the most frightening place Torchwick had ever been in. He looked around the room, trying to focus his attention everywhere and listen for any noises. He heard none._

_"I'm not playing, kitty cat. Get out here and I'll make this quick," he snarled, trying to use anger to hold back his fear. He took another step forward, his shoes crushing the fallen glass from the broken light bulb above him, making a cracking noise. His heart skipped a beat, but nothing happened._

_"Why not attack me now and get this bullshit over with? You've got your super faunus night vision, right?" Torchwick received no answer yet again._

_"Is this how you get your kicks? Just like a real kitty, you play with your prey before going in for the kill? Or are you just scared to fight me in the open? I wouldn't be surprised. You're a faunus; all your kind do is hide." Still no reply._

_"Okay, now this is getting old. What do I have to do to get you to step out of the shadows? I mean, I can't say I blame you for staying there. If I were a filthy faunus piece of trash, I'd keep my face hidden too. I mean, you basically look like the kid of an animal and a human who had sex. Say, is that how faunus are born? Does someone just wake up one day and say 'hey, I'm gonna fuck a cat?' Does-" Torchwick was cut off by a heavy object hitting his hand, making him hiss. His can skidded away from him, and he heard the drawing of a sword. He tried moving away, but it was useless. He found that his opponent had shoved her heel into the back of his knee, and he fell on it. The front of his knee slammed into the ground and he grunted as he felt a dull pain erupt in his leg. His grunt was soon replaced by a scream as a sword was jammed into his thigh and pierced the stone, keeping him impaled on the ground. His right arm was pulled into the air and Torchwick felt it bend in a highly irregular manner, eliciting another scream from the crime boss. His other arm received the same treatment, and both of his upper extremities hung limp at his sides, broken. Torchwick didn't want to move them._

_"What the hell is this?" He asked in a panic. Suddenly, a light was shone into his eyes and he closed them quickly, opening them after a few seconds to see a terrifying face in front of his. He stared at the woman's narrowed, amber eyes, and as he tried to look away, a hand grabbed his throat and he gagged. He found himself forced to stare into the woman's eyes again. He could see the clarity in her gaze, the calm. He saw that she wasn't unhinged or blinded by anger. She was torturing him as if she was simply going about her daily business. His own eyes grew increasingly wide, not wanting to hold her gaze any longer. So, he focused on a different part of her face, and he saw deep scowl. He then closed his eyes, not wishing to see any more. There was no word to describe what the woman's expression was. It was beyond terrifying. To Torchwick, with an impaled leg, two broken arms, and a single small flashlight illuminating the person who had made it all happen, his assailant's face was like looking into his own personal hell. No matter where he looked, he saw fear and helplessness. Suddenly, the woman spoke._

_"I'm not going to waste too much time talking to you, Roman. I'm not going to bore you with things you already know. You know my friend is dead, you know you killed him, and you know that I'm angry. Very angry. But what you don't know is how angry. I've been living in a world I've helped to save, a world that's only deteriorated since its salvation. And there's only so much shit I can take before snapping. Racism? I've dealt with that my whole life. Suffering? I've seen that, too. So I should have been used to losing people, right? I should have been used to death and sadness. But it's always the small things, isn't it? They're always the ones that push us over the edge, because that's all we need. A single push. After all, by that point, we're already at that edge. I was at that edge, and you gave me the final shove."_

_"W-What are you doing? Don't-" Torchwick cried out, interrupted as the faunus slammed her elbow into his face. He could hardly make out her dark Aura in the shadows, but he saw it flare up as her first strike landed. He tried looking up again, and saw a glint of controlled anger in her eyes before she punched him in the face again. His stomach was next to receive an impact from the woman's fist, and he coughed up blood. He then cried out as his hair was pulled back, forcing him to look up at his assailant._

_"If I pull hard enough, will your scalp come off?" She asked quizzically and rhetorically. She pulled and Torchwick blinked. She continued pulling, her strength gradually increasing. Torchwick blinked again, holding back a scream. But when the woman suddenly yanked at his orange hair, he let it all out. His eyes watered and noise erupted from his mouth like water breaking a dam. Quickly, she reached her hand into his mouth and ripped off one of his teeth, stabbing him in the eye with it. The screams grew louder, but the faunus didn't seem to care. She didn't smile with satisfaction, nor did she flinch at the noise. Torchwick had never been this afraid before. He'd seen wild anger, blind anger, and even calculated anger. However, this was none of them. For the first time, he was seeing the anger of someone who snapped. He was seeing the rage of someone past the breaking point. There was no blindness, there was no calculation, and there was certainly nothing wild about the woman in front of him. What he did see, however, was change. Blake Belladonna had fallen, crashed, and shattered, and when she was put back together, something was out of place. But those concerns had fallen from Torchwick's mind. All he knew now was pain and fear._

* * *

A shriek rose from Roman Torchwick's lungs and rose out of his mouth as he woke up. The noise echoed across his white, brightly lit room. It seemed to cling to the ornate, expensive wooden furniture and the massive bed he was sleeping on.

"Hah...hah...hah..." Torchwick breathed heavily, taking note of all of the lights in the room, their orange glow comforting him. He saw lamps, candles, a chandelier made of solid gold, and even a few nightlights. He felt like a child afraid of the dark, but he knew that he wasn't. It wasn't the dark he truly feared. He wasn't really scared of shadows. He was scared of who lay within them. Blake Belladonna had risen from her shadows and into his light, and her appearance cast a blanket of darkness over his entire mind.

"Why her? Why is it her, every single fucking night? That faunus bitch just won't leave me alone!" Roman screamed, his hands clenching as he sat up in his bed, sweating. He threw off his sweaty white undershirt, revealing the bandages on his chest. He moved his hands along them, scaling his body until he reached his face. His left eye was heavily bandaged and he had multiple stitches on his cheeks and even neck. His nose was wrapped in a bandage as well, and he also wore a good deal of bandages around his head, covering his hair. However, some orange strands stuck beyond the white cloth and fell onto his forehead, sticking there due to the sweat. Grunting as he readjusted his sleeping position without putting too much pressure on his injured leg, the one that had been stabbed, he tried to get comfortable again. As he kept squirming, Torchwick felt his bandages brush against the sheets of his bed. He knew he didn't need them. It had been months since Blake had attacked him, and it had been a little while longer since he had financed a mob of thirty members of various anti-faunus groups in their mission to kill Adam Taurus. He had a vague idea about the nature of Adam's and Blake's relationship, but didn't know too much. What he did know, however, was that taking Adam down would send a very big message about the power of the anti-faunus groups and Torchwick's own influence, and it did. Of course, for Blake, it had been more of a challenge. She'd practically torn apart the thirty men and women who'd killed Adam, and had almost done the same to Torchwick himself. He was lucky beyond all belief that the faunus' blonde friend had intervened. He briefly tried to remember her name, thinking it may have been Yin or something of that nature, before his thoughts drifted to sleep. He hoped desperately that he didn't have nightmares about the night Blake had found him.

* * *

Weiss waited patiently, holding a snowflake pillow to her chest. Her hand drummed along the exterior of the phone to the beat of a song she'd heard Yang sing to Ruby once. She didn't know why she'd thought of that song at the moment she was calling Yang's younger sister, but she did. Giving it no thought, as there were some thoughts she had that even she couldn't understand, Weiss' patience was rewarded and she eagerly but somberly greeted the leader of team RWBY.

"Hello, Ruby. How...how are you?" She asked. Ruby responded, and Weiss could practically hear the smile in her friend's voice.

"Oh, I'm good. I've been cleaning my sweetheart for a little white now, lubricating her barrel and-" Weiss sighed, interrupting the younger woman.

"Please don't talk about Crescent Rose like a human being. It makes everything you say sound...indecent," she said. Ruby chuckled.

"Sorry, sorry. Old habits and all. So, did you just want to hear the melodic sound of my voice, or do you have some ulterior motive?" The redhead asked cheerfully. However, it was in that sentence that Weiss noticed something. Ruby's voice cracked, just a little.

"You've been crying, haven't you?" She asked. Ruby remained silent for a little before answering.

"Yeah. I have. It's just...Yang left to go on one of her 'walks,' and being alone is depressing. Aside from Crescent, I really don't have anything to distract me from, well, me. Have you ever felt like that, Weiss? That you just needed someone to be there so that you could forget who you were?" She spoke calmly but sadly, posing her question with more melancholy than she wanted to express. Weiss felt a pang of anger arise when Ruby mentioned Yang's absence, but quickly found herself more sad than anything.

"Just now, actually. I've been crying, too. Ruby, I have some very bad news. That's why I wanted to call you in the first place, to tell you about the...nevermind. It's just..." Her voice wavered and she found a stray tear falling from her eye. She wiped it away forcefully and continued talking.

"Ruby, Snow, Inc isn't working with me anymore. In light of recent events, they won't accept my money and they won't fund my projects. I...I can't get you a cure. I'm sorry," the white-haired woman told her friend, her voice as low and gentle as she could possibly make it. Aside from a small squeak, she heard nothing from her friend. Many seconds passed, Weiss waiting patiently, before Ruby responded.

"H-hey, it's fine."

"Is it really?" Weiss asked, doubtful.

"Sure it is! I mean yeah, I'm sad and I want my legs back, but..." At this, Ruby trailed off, her optimism fading. She had nothing to say, no excuse to give. She had always tried to stay happy and upbeat for her friends, but now, she couldn't do it. She knew that sometimes, they didn't appreciate her cheery attitude. Sometimes she got on their nerves, especially Weiss. But it was something the redhead felt that she needed to do. So many people she knew were willing to let themselves fall into depressing thoughts. Some, like Weiss and Blake, had pasts that haunted them. Others, like Jaune, struggled with their sense of self-worth. And Ruby felt that she needed to try and cheer them up. She needed to give them a sense of normalcy, to let them know that nothing had changed. This time, however, she couldn't do it. For her, things had changed.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked, fear lingering on her voice. She didn't hear anything coming form the other end. Ruby made no noise, or perhaps she had put the phone down to cry in private.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted out of habit, having done so whenever her team leader spaced out when they were students in Beacon.

"Sorry, Weiss. I, uh...could we talk about something else?" Ruby asked, surprising Weiss with the speed at which she replied.

"Um..."

"Look, I can't cry anymore. I'm empty. I can't mope, because that would be rude to you. And worst of all, I can't do anything about it. I'm stuck in this chair and I'm weak. I can't beat anyone up to make them give the use of my legs back. I can't rally the troops and have everyone go marching on Snow, Inc. I'm helpless, and I'm done. Let's just...talk. Like old times, okay?" Ruby asked sweetly, trying her best to persuade Weiss with her words and tone of voice.

"Ruby, you can't just act like none of this is happening," her friend said, trying to sound supportive instead of demanding. Ruby sighed.

"I know, I know. I can't run from it. I have to face it, and I face it every night. Some nights go better than others, some are worse. But I've been facing this for a month now, Weiss. Can't I ignore it, just this once? Don't I deserve that much?" Weiss sighed a big long sigh in response to Ruby. She was right. Sometimes, pretending wasn't such a bad thing. And Ruby, who had always so willingly embraced responsibility and tried to bear her burdens as best she could, certainly earned the right to pretend.

"Of course. I'm sorry for being so insensitive."

"Oh, it's fine," Ruby said, her voice loud and uplifting like that of a chirping bird. As soon as Weiss relented, the redhead seemed to have pulled herself together, so eager was she to distract herself this one particular night.

"So, Weiss. Have you heard about the saucy rumors floating around Vale? About a certain blonde and his lady love?" Ruby asked coyly, making Weiss sigh.

"You sound just like your sister."

"Hey, it's exciting! They're finally starting to go out! I mean, it took them long enough, right?" Weiss let herself smile.

"Yes, it is and yes, it did."

"I know, right? I'm just so happy for them! I mean, I was there! We were eating out, and Jaune suddenly got up and started muttering something about Pyrrha being the greatest, most badass woman he'd ever met, and then Pyrrha turns all red and starts getting all fidgety and then Jaune is all 'so, uh...I mean...uh...well, if it's alright with you...'" Ruby started, trailing off into an endless stream of words, using comically deep voices to imitate Jaune and Pyrrha, making Weiss chuckle a little. She listened, trying to understand what Ruby was saying, secretly wishing that the younger woman had learned to properly space her words and talk like a normal human being. When she was excited about something, Ruby tended to let her words blend and her mind wander everywhere, thinking of the most ridiculous things. It was part of her charm, but at the same time, Weiss was annoyed by it and wondered what possessed an adult to talk in such a manner.

"...And so Pyrrha gets all emotional and kisses Jaune square on the lips and he starts gagging because Pyrrha doesn't know what she'd doing and she's crushing him kind of like what Yang does except with a lot more kissing and Jaune can't breathe and he starts tapping on Pyrrha who lets go and is all like 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' And then everyone starts clapping and Pyrrha bows before running off with Jaune to go somewhere and Yang said something really dirty and I flicked her in the head and then the waiter got there with my cookies and I ate them all and it was great! So, where were you that day, huh? Did you run off to do Weiss things, like organize books and drink expensive champagne?" Ruby finished her run-on sentence, not pausing at all and not even showing the slightest sign of fatigue. Weiss, for her part, had only barely heard what Ruby said.

"Well, I'll have you know that I was..." Realization dawned on Weiss as she remembered that she had been organizing her books that day.

"...I don't drink champagne unless it's a special occasion," she decided to say forcefully, hoping to get Ruby off of the subject. She didn't like when the younger woman managed to corner her with logic, however twisted Ruby's logic might have been.

"You were organizing your books, weren't you?"

"Don't you judge me! It's very therapeutic! I had just been arguing with the most moronic man in the store that day. He was spouting some anti-faunus nonsense, and after I brutally defeating him with undeniable logic, he made some very juvenile and unkind comments about my appearance and left. The nerve of some people! I had to find a completely new order to place my books in! This time, I settled with date published, from newest to oldest. And before you ask, yes, I do actually read them...on occasion," Weiss said, growing flustered just by remembering the encounter. Ruby chuckled. Both women were growing more comfortable, talking with each other like they were both back in Beacon, with no homework and nothing to do.

"Well, Pyrrha missed you. She said that it was a shame that you weren't there because, apparently, you'd been berating both her and Jaune about their shyness," Ruby replied.

"Berated? I just gave them advice was all!"

"Well, you have a really weird way of giving them advice. Apparently, you called Jaune 'as yellow as his hair.' And yeah, I know what that means. Pyrrha told me."

"I was trying to encourage him."

"You were being mean."

"I can't help it if that's how I sound!" The two continued their talking late into the night, only stopping once Ruby yawned and fell asleep. Weiss hung up and went to bed herself, her spirits lifted yet again due to Ruby.

* * *

Sun had reached the alleyway the anti-faunus members were supposed to come to. He was five minutes early. Reaching his hand into his coat, he pulled out a ripe banana and folded up his mask. He began chewing mindlessly, his legs dangling from the edge of the building. It was at least fifty feet high, and he felt quite at ease being able to stare from such a height out into the night sky.

"Come on, Nora, be right..." Sun muttered, glancing down into the alley quickly. There was still no sign of anyone coming by or about to come by, and the monkey faunus began to get stiff. While he ordinarily made fun of Nora for her boundless energy, he wasn't much different. He constantly moved around, his tail swinging under his coat. That was probably the most restless part of him. Standing up and stretching, he looked out at all of the colorful lights in the richer part of the city, noticing how they illuminated the gaudy architecture. There were so many unnecessary swirls and designs that could be easily seen on all of the buildings, and it made Sun sick to his stomach. This was how humans spent the Lien they stole from the faunus or forced them to hand over. They put it into fancy buildings and lights. Apparently, even the faunus' Lien was considered less important, being spent on mere trivialities. But Sun wouldn't give them the satisfaction of taking his money, be it through means legal or illegal. Small a gesture as it was in the vast consumer world, he didn't pay for anything. He lived off of the kindness of his landlord, who allowed him to live at the hotel in exchange for doing maintenance around the building, keeping everything running. He either stole food or was given meals by the other hotel tenants, who either sympathized with his tough life as a faunus or were amazed by his lawless and unique lifestyle. In fact, he had stolen the Lien he used to pay for his and Yang's drinks in the bar from an anti-faunus group member he'd beaten up earlier that week. As he pondered his defiance, trying to figure out whether he loved it or whether he really loved it, he noticed five figures moving beneath him, two minutes behind schedule. Nora was surprisingly accurate. Four were holding backpacks that were likely full of the stolen food, and they all wore black clothes, like Sun. He didn't hear them well, but he didn't want to. Holding his empty banana peel over the building's edge, he tried to time it so that he dropped it on the head of the nearest moving target. He cursed as he saw that his projectile was going to fall slower than anticipated and thus miss its target, but Sun knew that he wouldn't.

* * *

The banana peel made a smacking noise on the wet stone ground, and the five men glared at it.

"What the hell was that?" One asked. He turned to his comrades, who were busy staring at the sky.

"Put up your Auras boys!" A voice cried out from overhead. The man activated his Aura, not sure who spoke but not wanting to be unprepared. He was right to do so. He felt sneakers connect with his head and he crumpled to the ground, not even remaining conscious long enough to see the figure who had landed on him roll off of his fallen body and into an upright position. The other men pulled out their weapons, mostly swords and axes, but they were quickly disarmed. Sun twirled his staff above his head and it caught on man in the forehead who was standing near him, knocking him out and away from the fight. Sun then twirled his weapon in a downward spiral, tripping up another man who had been running towards the fray. Before he could fall to the ground, however, Sun stopped his staff mid twirl and brought it back, catching the falling man with it. As if he was scooping dirt from the ground, he swung his staff back and the man on it slammed into a third man who had also been foolish enough to run up to the fight. Both were knocked out. One man was left, the man nor carrying a pack, and he had put a lot of distance between himself and Sun. He was holding a chain with a small semicircle on it that quickly expanded, curving in on itself to become a sphere as large as a pumpkin. From it, smooth cylinders popped out, crackling with electricity. He spun the chain around slowly, and Sun saw that the chain came from a metal band on his wrist.

"Okay...now what? Should we settle this with a game of shoots and ladders?" Sun asked jokingly, spinning his staff with the same amount of flippant carelessness he used to taunt his opponent.

"Quit your yapping. I know who you are, and you're not gonna do to us what you did to the others, banana freak."

"I guess that's a no. I honestly don't know what I was thinking, asking you that. Who the hell plays shoots and ladders these days?" The man swung his ball and chain and Sun ducked it, thinking that he would have a wide opening. However, the man seemed to be stronger than Sun gave him credit for. He quickly pulled the chain and it came flying back at the faunus, who knocked it aside with his staff. The man wasted no time in attacking again, seeing that deflecting the ball had staggered Sun. He swung the chain back almost immediately after it had been knocked aside, and the faunus had to roll to dodge it as it slammed the ground where he had been a second ago, dust and debris rising with the impact. He came up next to the man, just within his staff's striking range, when his opponent flexed the hand that the metal band was on. The chain suddenly retracted into the hole it had come out of, making the ball come closer and allowing the man to block Sun's strike. He then swung his ball and chain as if it were like a sword, with no parts moving. Each strike was immediately followed by another, Sun being forced to step back with each deflection. He moved his staff like a windshield wiper, knocking aside the ball one way and then knocking it back another. He then spun his weapon like a windmill as the man moved his free hand up above his wrist, slapping the metal band. Suddenly, the cylinders shot out of the ball and flew at him, electricity spreading across them so that he could hardly see the cylinders at all. They were deflected by his furious spinning, but more shot out of the ball to replace them.

"And now for something completely different," he muttered, turning his staff into a pair of nunchaku. He jumped away from the ball, but the man shot more cylinders at him to retaliate. Sun rolled out of the way, coming up and spinning his weapons wildly, using them to knock away more than flew at him and dodging one that got past. However, he felt the electricity crackle along his face and shock him something fierce, making him grimace. Sun then folded up his weapons so that the two metal rods that were connected to their respective chains were held in his hands, and proceeded to charg the man head-on. His opponent extended the reach of his ball by increasing the length of his chain, and Sun dodged the first swipe by ducking his head as more cylinders popped out of the metal sphere to replace the ones that were launched. He then flipped over the next swing and landed in front of the man, unfolding his nunchaku. Behind him, however, he heard a scraping noise and spun out of the way. The man had brought his ball and chain back, forcing him to move aside as well. The maneuver put distance between him and Sun, but not quite enough. The faunus, charging up his brilliant orange Aura, swung his nunchaku as they glowed with orange light. The man tried to recover and fling his weapon at his opponent again, but Sun reacted too quickly. He stepped towards the man and released his Aura in the form of two massive, scattering energy blasts coming from Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. They slammed into the man at the exact same moment, sending him hurtling out of the alley and into a nearby building. Sun looked at the demolished wall and sighed, picking up the four backpacks and hurling them, one by one, into the air. They landed on a nearby fire escape, which Sun himself jumped to.

"Okay. That happened. Probably should have been a little more subtle, but hey. I got what I came for." Now all Sun had to do was contact Nora again; she'd tell him where the food was supposed to be delivered.

* * *

Nora sat on a wooden bench in a grassy park, watching a fountain in the center of the park shoot out jets of water. Much to her amusement, the water was being shot out of the stone gauntlets of a Yang statue. The brawler had requested that at least one statue be made in her honor. The thought of it made Nora giggle. She kicked her feet back and forth thoughtlessly, listening as her shoes gently scraped against the cobblestone ground. The grass that was so prevalent in the park spread all around the small cobblestone circle that surrounded the fountain. As the orange-haired woman stared at the Yang statue, thinking about how specific Yang was about the artist getting her measurements right, she noticed a vibrating object next to her. Her phone was ringing, and she knew who it was.

"Hey there, Sunshine! How are you?" Nora asked in her usual bubbly voice.

"I'll let you know once I think of a clever joke involving your name," was the reply.

"Then we're gonna be here all night." Sun sighed at Nora's bluntness, and proceeded to get to business.

"So I beat up the thugs and got their goods. Who do they go to?" He asked.

"Well, as much as I want some food right now, those actually go to a faunus family on Crescent Lane. You'll find their house easily enough; it's bright red and has a massive doghouse out front."

"Thanks Nora, but...do you have anything more specific, like an address or a last name?" Sun asked his cheerful partner.

"Nope." She replied.

"Seriously?"

"Yep." Sun cursed under his breath at Nora's joviality in admitting that she had no idea.

"You suck."

"I'll ignore that comment. Say, can I beat up the next batch of goons we get?" Nora asked, her tone of voice a little too eager for Sun's liking.

"Your weapon is way too iconic, Nora. If you fight, you'll be recognized. Besides, you're a Huntress. Don't you fight enough already?"

"Then I just have to hit them so hard they forget everything!" She shouted, either not hearing or choosing to ignore Sun's last comment.

"Uh...how about you let me do the fighting, okay?" Nora made an annoyed grunting noise, but yielded to her partner's request.

"Red house, big doghouse, Crescent Lane. Got it. I'm off. You can go back home now," the faunus told her. She gave him a cheery goodbye and hung up, getting up from her seat on the bench and ran home.

"Ren's gonna be pissed again. He hates when I wake him up," she said to herself, thinking fondly of her boyfriend.

* * *

Yang woke up in Sun's bedroom, her head throbbing and her hair wet. She quickly got up and went to the sink, washing all of the booze off of her golden locks, cooing to them as she did so. Getting up from the sink, she quickly left the apartment and pulled out her phone. She had to get home quickly so as not to disappoint Ruby, who had requested that she come home before morning. However, feeling guilty at having Sun bring her to his home as well as deal with her drunk, she called him. The phone rang three times before Sun picked up.

"Hey, Yang."

"Hey Sun. Please don't talk too loud," she said. Another reason she needed to get home was so she could get her hands on some much-needed hangover medicine. Every noise made her head hurt.

"Right, sorry. You know, you were a huge pain in the ass tonight." Yang sighed, fearing that was the case.

"I'm really sorry for whatever I did. I got a little drunk. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know." Sun almost laughed when she said that she had gotten a little drunk. It was far more than just a little.

"Well good, because I've got a few things I want from you. For starters, if you stopped getting shit-faced in a bar filled with the sleaziest guys in town, I'd be really happy." The biting comment made Yang frown.

"This is my life. I'll do whatever I want. Besides, if anyone gets too hands-on, I just go for the balls. That teaches dudes what's what." Yang's words made Sun wince at the memory of what happened in the bar. He assumed she had forgotten about it, and although he wasn't eager to remind her, he figured that it might get her to see some sense.

"Yeah, I know. You practically shoved your face between my legs." Yang chuckled a little, quickly silencing herself as her splitting headache increased in intensity.

"Funny."

"No seriously, you did. Yang, this isn't healthy for you. If I were any other guy..." As Sun trailed off, the blonde woman realized that he wasn't kidding.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry."

"You should be. That was awkward as hell."

"That's a new drunk thing for me," Yang sighed. It was at that point that Sun snapped, not willing to humor his friend any longer.

"Is it really? Do you even remember what you do when you get drunk? You could have done the same thing to tons of other guys and be completely clueless," Sun snarled.

"I'm pretty sure I'd know if I started whoring around when I get drunk," Yang responded with equal malice.

"Really? Would you?"

"What the hell are you trying to say, Sun?" Yang asked the faunus, getting increasingly angry. She was even willing to ignore the pain in her head to keep arguing, massaging her temples instinctively whenever it came up.

"What I'm trying to say is that you need to stop this. Don't just stop going to that bar, stop going to any bar. Tell Ruby and Weiss about this. They can help you. Do anything except for going off on your own and getting drunk." Sun's tone went from angry to pleading at the end, and Yang scoffed at his words. He wasn't surprised, but he was annoyed. He should have known that trying to talk sense into her was a bad idea.

"In case you didn't understand the first time, I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm a grown-ass woman and I can make my own choices."

"That doesn't make them good choices, Yang!" Sun shouted, forcing the blonde woman to reel back and cover her ears.

"Dammit, not so loud. Look, I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble and that I'm acting like an ungrateful brat right now, but I don't need help running my life. Ruby and Weiss have enough going on as it is. I'm not adding another problem to their loads. Maybe if I see you around, we can talk about this. But for now, I just need to get home and go to sleep. Ruby's gonna be pissed if I'm not back by morning," Yang said, controlling her anger. She'd caused Sun enough trouble as it was, and she knew that he didn't deserve to have her annoyance taken out on him.

"...Fine. Sorry I yelled. I guess I got a little heated. Look, if you really want to pay me back, then call me up. Maybe we can talk sometime. And not just about you and your...nightly habits. We could just hang out. Like friends," Sun replied. Yang grinned.

"Yeah, sure. I'll call you sometime tomorrow. Not really sure when; I'm a little too hung over to think straight right now."

* * *

It was the early morning. Prisoners lined up at the metal wire circle, clinging to it and shouting obscenities. Who they were directed to depended on who they were rooting for. Blake and Cinder were squaring off in the prison sparring ring, and people were eager to see such powerful warriors fight. A smiling, white-haired dog faunus wagged her short tail and stepped back into the prison employees' area, located in a small, one-room building near the wire that circled the dirt sparring field. She locked the door of the boring gray structure and sat behind a wooden desk. She then picked up a small microphone that was nearby and spoke into it.

"Okay, you know how these fights are. Don't throw anyone at this window because I'll freak out, don't cause any damage to each other that's too lethal, and do not...uh...the last thing was...don't tell me...have fun? No, no that's not it...oh yeah! Once one of you is knocked out, the other cannot, under any circumstances, keep beating them up. The match ends immediately. Ready? Now...fight!" As the two prisoners lunged at each other, a group of employees behind the faunus woman chuckled at her mistake.

* * *

**Crap, this chapter is long. Hopefully, people can still actually read it and not give up halfway. I know I certainly might if I were to read this. In my defense though, a lot does happen and I hope that people are intrigued by it enough to read through. The events going on in this story are as follows: Blake beats the living shit out of Roman Torchwick because he killed Adam and now he's scared to death of her, Weiss and Ruby have a nice talk that becomes a sad talk that becomes a nice talk again, Ruby once again shows how the inability to use her legs has changed her emotionally, and Sun makes a Monty Python's Flying Circus reference. Spot it if you can! Also, Sun beats up people and talks to Nora and then talks to Yang. Sun is really prominent in this chapter, isn't he? I'd like to know what people think of him! Am I doing a good job of representing his character? I hope so. I'd also really like to know what people may think of Blake's backstory and whether or not her cruelty towards Roman seems OOC. If it does, don't worry; I plan to explain why she acted so cruelly towards him in more detail than just "Pimp cane man hurt Blake's friend. Blake smash!" And if anything else seems like it could use improvement, please let me know. **

**Also, it's actually quite hard to write for a more mature, world-weary Ruby Rose! I'm so used to her being the adorable, badass and optimistic leader of team RWBY that it's hard to see her any other way. Speaking of Ruby, did anyone watch the RWBY production diary 4? That episode clip at the end was HILARIOUS! It looks like Ruby's gone from being leader to president. And while volume 1 had some great humor (two words: combat skirt), volume 2 seems like it could kill me with laughter if the humor stays on track! I recommend watching it to anyone who hasn't done so already!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

The criminals of the Trenches met in a dimly lit stone room. The walls, ceiling and floor around them were cracked and full of dust. Weiss could practically see the specks of dirt rise from the ground whenever she took a step. Lights were scattered around the walls, powered by a miniscule amount of Dust. Grimacing at them, she flared up Aura, which powering the lights so that they shone like brilliant beacons instead of small matches. On the walls, there were also racks of well-maintained but old weapons. Brown Dust rifles were scattered around, some lopsided and others simply resting on the floor. Various ammo cartridges were visible through small slits in the weapons. Nearby, there were also melee weapons. Axes, swords, spears, maces, knives and more either lay on the ground or were crudely stacked on each other on top of their racks. In the center of the large stone room, a wooden platform rose a few feet above the ground and was lined with metal bars. Weiss wrinkled her nose at it; it was a pathetic excuse for a sparring ring, but it would have to do. Near the ring, her new teammates stood. There were fifteen of them, eight women and seven men. They were a very diverse group. They were of varying heights, weights, widths, skin colors, eye colors and pretty much anything else one could imagine. However, there were two things that unified one, they were all criminals. The second factor was their clothes; they all wore light black and gray armor. Weiss, after taking in her surroundings, was ready to quickly assert her position as leader and garner the respect of her teammates. She knew that they were all bored, angry, and defiant. They wouldn't listen to her unless she showed them that it was best for their survival. But she wanted more than that. No team could work together without trust, and Weiss wanted her teammates to trust her and to trust them in return. She had read about them and what they had done, just to know who she was dealing with, but she couldn't let that cloud her judgment.

* * *

"I know that it's early, you're tired, and you don't like it here in the first place. I know that most of you are all criminals. I know that you have committed atrocities, and that society has forsaken you. But if you are to survive here, none of that matters. I don't care about who you are and what you've done. All that matters to me is that you live. You have chosen paths in life that have led you here, as have I. We have made mistakes, and it is up to us to see to it that those mistakes don't kill us. It is up to me, as your leader and teammate, to ensure your survival. And, as my teammates, it up to you to give me the same courtesy. If we turn on each other, we will die." Weiss paused, allowing her new teammates to take in what she'd said. To her glee, a few of the criminals looked awed at her honesty. She continued on.

"You may not like me. My family may have wronged you in the past, or my world-saving antics may have led to your arrest, or perhaps I just rub you the wrong way. If that is the case, rest assured. I dislike you all just as much as you dislike me. But, as I said, such things mean nothing here. Today, we come together not as enemies or criminals. Today, we are a team. And, as long as I am on this team, I promise you, I'll be damned if a single one of you dies on my watch. I just hope that you can all promise me the same." Her speech was now garnering even more admiration. More of the criminals were starting to look at the former heiress not as an enemy and a holier-than-thou brat, but as a leader.

"I will warn you: If you step out of line, disciplinary measures will be taken. You cannot cut corners, nor can you shirk your duties. I will have no nonsensical shenanigans in the Trenches. Do you understand? I will turn you from criminals to Hunters and Huntresses, and trust me when I say that will not be an easy task, and I will not be an easygoing leader. And do you know why? Because life isn't easy. No matter what you do and who you are, life is hard. Life is cruel, and the only way to survive is to endure." Weiss finished her speech, her hand grasping her sword tightly. She flicked back her ponytail with a quick hand motion, glaring out at the fifteen person audience as if daring them to defy her. They knew what she had done and how strong she was; she was sure that such a thing wouldn't be an issue. Much to her surprise, however, slowly but surely, roughly half of the criminals began to clap. The other half joined in reluctantly, clearly not enthusiastic about the speech but not wanted to antagonize one of the heroes of Remnant. Weiss allowed herself to smile, stepping forward to meet her group.

"I think that introductions are in order. And no, you don't have to use your prisoner number. I want to hear your names."

* * *

Weiss had quickly been introduced to her new allies, and was ready to go straight into preparations. Tomorrow, herself and her team would be going on a mission that would last for three whole days. There was no time to waste.

"Tomorrow, we shall be embarking on our first mission. A three day mission. There are three Grimm nests that have popped up in Forever Fall. They are dangerously close to Vale, and we need to strike at them before they grow large enough to gain the confidence to attack. Nests one and two are made up of beowolves and boarbatusks, respectively, but nest three is inhabited by Nevermores. We need to be ready. Which is why, for today's training, we shall be working from now until six in the evening. And yes, I know that it is currently six in the morning. First, I need to discuss our formations. Then, you shall be practicing with your weapons. Then we will break for lunch. Afterwards, I want you all to spar with each other; I will have sparring partners decided upon seeing your weapon prowess. After that, we will have Aura training, and for the final part of the day, I will have you all test your combat skills against mine. Any questions?" Weiss spoke with authority, making sure to go fast so that no one had time to interject, but also tried to be clear so that everyone could understand her. A scrawny faunus man raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"What if...what if we haven't eaten yet?" Weiss sighed, her palm finding her face in an expression of annoyance.

"You were told to wake up early in order to eat a sufficient meal before coming here!"

"Uh...I slept in." A few of Weiss' teammates nodded in agreement.

"Then go and get something to eat. Be back in five minutes, for I want to start discussing formations soon. Go!" The white-haired woman shouted, inciting fear into her hungry teammates. A few of the other snickered, and Weiss shot them dirty looks.

"While we're waiting, why don't you all re-stack the weapons? They look awfully messy."

* * *

"Formations, for any team, are highly important. Now, as you all know, we have four ranged units, eight melee units, and three among you who have individual weapons and sufficient combat training. We will always have the ranged units in back, but at varying distances. For formations where our ranged units are to be distractions, we will have them far back. If we want our ranged units to be our main damage dealers, then we have them closer. If they're closer, their bullets can cause more damage. Now, for the latter formation, we will have the bulk of our melee force defend the ranged units. For the former, our melee units will be fighting the enemy. Our three...special units will do what they can, either helping their allies or hurting their enemies. I will do the same. Those are our two main types of offensive formations. We can add variations to them if we so please. Any questions?" Weiss asked, her speech about formation rising in volume so as to drown out the chewing of various foodstuffs. No one raised their hand, and the former heiress was satisfied that she had gotten through to her team. However, she could tell that her teammates were growing antsy already. Keeping them in line was going to be a challenge.

* * *

The dog faunus cringed as Blake and Cinder made first contact. Cinder used her superior size and strength as an advantage, blocking Blake's quick jab and punching her in the gut. The faunus gasped for breath and clutched her stomach with one hand. Cinder would have to keep up a relentless assault so as to prevent Blake from making use of her own natural advantages, her speed and agility. She then threw another punch, a right hook that staggered her opponent. Blake spat blood onto the ground and barely moved out of the way of Cinder's axe kick, rolling away from her stronger adversary. Blake charged again, waiting to get close before whipping out a low kick. Cinder jumped it and lashed out with a kick of her own, but Blake ducked it and delivered a spinning kick to her opponent's exposed side. Cinder grunted and Blake moved in faster than she could recover, a flurry of punches rocking the raven-haired human's word. Blake kept her fists close to her body, blocking any random strikes that Cinder threw out in desperation, all while delivering her own quick attacks. She didn't lean into any of her blows, choosing to go for quantity over quality. Cinder, seeing that she had no opening to strike whatsoever, decided to roll with the punches, literally. Blake hit her and she stepped back, trying to use the blow as a spring to make her fall into a roll. Her opponent, however, was too smart for such a trick, and laced her foot around Cinder's, forcing the woman to fall on her back. Blake fell upon her with a furious blow, leaning into it this time so as to get more damage, but she wasn't prepared for her cellmate to recover so quickly. Cinder was stronger than she had realized. An uppercut staggered the faunus woman, and Cinder quickly got up. She ran to Blake, who tried vaulting her, but she ducked under the attempt and Blake went flying over her, too far to strike back with her fists. She the tried a kick, which Cinder blocked with one of her own. In an immense display of power and agility, the two then traded blows with their legs. Cinder kicked down at Blake's side swipe, knocking her foot away, but she spun and switched feet, kicking straight for Cinder's stomach. Smiling, the black-haired woman raised her knee and blocked the attack, and Blake flipped back to gain space, preparing for her next move. The two opponents stood off, waiting.

"What's wrong? Didn't expect me to actually know how to fight? It's fine, no one does. People seem to think I can only throw fire around," Cinder taunted. She got a grunt in reply.

"And now you're being all tough and taciturn. Okay. I guess you don't want to talk." Blake, having taken ample time to formulate a plan, broke the standoff and charged Cinder. The flame wielder, true to her claim to fame, whipped her hand from her side and summoned a stream of fire. It didn't hurt Blake, but it certain blinded her. Unable to see where Cinder as going, she stood still and waited for an impact. Her plan was ruined by her momentary blindness, but she had another. Cinder delivered a kick to Blake's back, but reacting with incredible speed thanks to a small bit of Semblance, she turned as she felt the impact of Cinder's foot and grabbed it. She brought her opponent closer to her and with a powerful axe kick, sent Cinder into the ground. Blood shot from her nose and she blocked Blake's first punch, but not the second. It almost knocked her out and most likely would have if not for Blake being weakened by her Semblance use. Cinder had felt the same effect. Slamming her palm into Blake's chin, she sent the woman's head shooting up, which gave her time to kick her away. Blake rolled and coughed, her vision growing blurry. Her and Cinder both breathed heavily, and then she charged. She ran quickly towards her opponent, and Cinder suddenly threw her entire body at the woman. Blake flipped over it and Cinder rolled on the ground, having missed her target. With a quick hand motion, however, she pushed herself up and delivered a kick at the faunus. Blake, smiling slightly, jumped over it and turned her body in midair, her feet swinging to meet Cinder's cheek, knocking her to the ground. With a single crude hand gesture, she left the conscious world as her opponent fell to her knees. Cheers and boos erupted from the crowd, but they all sounded like buzzing in Blake's head.

* * *

The dog faunus ran from the building, quickly announcing the winner, as she made her way towards Blake. The prisoner was slowly making her way to the fence, eager to get some rest. However, she had gotten up too quickly; her head spun and she fell to her knees again.

"Blake-I mean, prisoner 1337!" The dog faunus shouted in concern, helping the raven-haired woman to her feet.

"You need to rest," she said, concerned. Blake smiled at her.

"Thank you...but shouldn't you be worrying about Cinder?" Behind them both, Blake's cellmate was lying on the ground, bleeding. The dog faunus yelped and ran over to her instead, grabbing Cinder by the arms as another employee got her by the legs.

"Someone, help Blake to her cell," she said to the employees who had come up behind her. A man rushed over to Blake, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

"That was painful to watch," he said gruffly.

"It was painful to be a part of," Blake said with a mocking edge to her voice. The man sighed, his expression turning dark.

"Shut up, you."

* * *

Yang had found her sister asleep in her wheelchair. She lifted Ruby bridal-style and put her in her bed, bringing her wheelchair next to it for when she woke up. Yang then walked over to the couch, not even bothering to change her clothes. Burying her head in a cushion, she fell asleep almost instantly, and, although hours had passed, she felt as if she awoke minutes later. She had been dreaming of a better time, when Ruby had her legs and her dreams, when she was rudely interrupted by an all-too-familiar whistle. Ruby had used it countless times to awaken her teammates back at Beacon. Yang's head was still tucked into the cushion, but the loud, high-pitched noise from the whistle still rang in her ears.

"Wake up, Yang! It's time for a super delicious and nutritious Ruby-style breakfast!" Her head slowly rose from the pillow, and Ruby laughed.

"Yang, you have drool all over you!"

"I do? Huh."

"Yeah, you do, and it's gross. You have some cleaning up to do. Eat your breakfast and then take a shower, and make it quick. You have to go in thirty minutes, sis." Ruby said kindly, helping her sister off of the couch.

"Drool attack!" Yang suddenly pressed her cheek into Ruby's face, moving her head around. Ruby endeavored to pull away, and settled for a quick jab of Yang's ribs in order to get the older woman to release her.

"Ew, gross! Now my face is all wet! I hope you don't have any hot water for your shower," Ruby said, annoyed, moving away to the sink.

"Sorry," the blonde called out to her, clearly not sorry at all. She sat down to eat her food as Ruby cleaned her face of her sister's saliva.

"So, Yang. Guess what?" From the tone in her voice, Yang could only assume that something very good had happened to the younger woman.

"Your Weapons Monthly magazine came today?" She joked.

"Nope. Even better...Weiss said that she could get me a job!" In the middle of cutting up her ham, Yang's hand tightened and crushed her knife. Bolting up from her seat to hug her sister, she gushed over her new opportunity.

"That's great! You finally have a job!" Yang was careful not to get her face near Ruby's, as she hadn't bothered to clean it of her drool. The brunette returned her sister's hug, finding the blonde's happiness contagious. Ruby found herself going from excited to ecstatic.

"I know! It's so cool! She said that I could do maintenance on weapons in the Eastern Vale Hunting Branch for the First Division! Of course, there's already someone there, so she said that she'd have to convince Jaune, who's now in charge of the First Division, to replace their guy with me, but this is Jaune we're talking about. It's not like she's actually going to have to convince him; he'll be on board. There will be a mandatory job interview, and I am going to need references, but I think I'm pretty much good. In a few days, yours truly will be in weapon paradise!" Yang grinned, her smile faltering slightly when Ruby mentioned Jaune. She did, after all, blame him for Ruby's predicament.

"Ruby, this is really what you need. Having a job will...distract you," she said gently. Ruby grinned.

"Yeah, it will. Now eat your food, sis. You don't have much time." The cloaked woman replied.

"I let you sleep in, but now I'm starting think that was a bad idea." She said after a small silence.

"It was a fine idea," Yang replied.

"Of course you would say that."

* * *

Blake ate her lunch slowly, still hurting from her fight with Cinder. Around her, other prisoners ate as well, some passing by to challenge her or congratulate her. She spoke to them for a little before watching them leave, never giving them an opportunity to delve into a real conversation. She wasn't in the mood. She was sore and dizzy. Her head felt like it was buzzing, and the white walls in the cafeteria gave her a headache. Fighting without Aura was tough, even for her. She'd trained without it when she was being mentored by Adam, but that wasn't enough to prepare her for it. It made her realize just how much she took her Aura for granted, and almost laughed at the thought. As her mind wandered to the sensitive topic of Adam Taurus, she began to stop eating her lunch entirely. She couldn't stop her mind as it barreled toward a depressing topic like an enraged boarbatusk. She wasn't ready to get in its way.

"Maybe I should ask Cinder about it after all," she mused.

* * *

Cinder flexed her arms, looking around the room. She sat on a dark gray table, looking at a metal door and the gray walls around it. The room was very small, and she figured it could fix a maximum of ten people. Above her, a light flickered, annoying Cinder with its on-and-off shine. At least the room was clean. It was, after all, a medical station, and it had to be free of filth. It just didn't have to be nice. That was how prisons were. If something was required, it was done, but it not, it was ignored. She supposed that, when one was dealing with criminals, they didn't feel obliged to give them good living conditions. Next to her, the friendly dog faunus stood, looking at the ground. It was only then that Cinder realized that she was stark naked.

"Well then. Now I see why you're so awkward. I would like my clothes, please." The dog faunus handed Cinder her prison uniform, and she slowly slipped into it.

"Uh...could you go a little faster?" The faunus asked. Cinder leaned in closer to her, the raven-haired woman's top still not on.

"What's wrong? We're both women here. It's not like this isn't anything you haven't seen before in a mirror," she said. The faunus made a small squeaking noise and stepped away.

"If that's how you want to play, then I suppose I'll just have to oblige you." Cinder put on her uniform and hopped off of the table.

"Thank you for healing me up, Prim. It's a shame that the winners don't receive the same treatment. Blake's probably not having fun right now," she said, grinning widely.

"Do you have to use my nickname? It's a little...um..."

"Intimate?" The word shocked the dog faunus, and she turned away to hide her now scarlet face.

"N-no!" Cinder chuckled and walked out of the room, waving at Primrose as she left. The faunus' ears were hanging limp on her head, almost covering into her eyes.

"That woman..." She sighed, her heart feeling like it might explode from embarrassment and happiness. Cinder had never been so close to her before.

* * *

For Weiss, it had been a long day. She'd drilled the concept of formations into her teammates' heads, forcing them to remember the formation names as well. Then, she had to watch as they demonstrated their weapon proficiency. The three warriors who had their own weapons, formerly being Hunters and Huntresses, possessed a considerable amount of skill. One of the three, a man, had a sword that split to form two blades capable of firing powerful lasers. Another one, a woman, had a pair of white gauntlets and black boots. They were all made of smooth metal, but had various holes in them for bursts of wind, as that was the type of Dust her weapon used. The last of the three, a female bull faunus, had a chakram that she could use her Semblance to teleport around. The weapon itself could turn into a large shield. However, the remaining twelve members of Weiss' motley crew were not quite as skilled. Out of the four ranged units, only two had used a gun before being put in the Trenches. The other two had only recently been taught to shoot, but the skill gap between the two wasn't exactly wide. Weiss had spent an hour trying to show them how to aim properly. The melee units fared a little better, although not by much. They were all too eager to kill the Grimm themselves and gain credit, making the former heiress realize that they were melee units more for their demeanor than their capabilities. They, unlike Weiss and the seven other members of the team, had no concept of teamwork. Weiss was very busy with them. Lunch had passed, and then she put them into sparring groups. The melee and ranged groups were mixed, as Weiss wanted them to have the experience of fighting anopponent with a different skill set from their own. The results were very mixed. As expected, the three special units dominated, even fighting each other to standstills, and the melee units did surprisingly well; their aggressiveness was surely useful to them in combat. The ranged units, however, didn't do well under pressure. Only a single member of the ranged group won when they were fighting against any units outside of their own. Aura training was the least stressful part of the day; all of Weiss' teammates had surprisingly powerful Auras. They were nothing special, but she had deemed them all competent in battle situations. And although that was the least stressful part of the day, sparring with the others was her favorite. She effortlessly defeated everyone, even taking out the three special units in a matter of seconds and defeating the entire group in forty. She noticed with annoyance that quite a few of her teammates seemed a little too eager to defeat her. She supposed that they weren't used to being pushed so hard and resented her for it. The day then ended, and Weiss, in a gesture meant to endear her to her team, gave the entire group money to eat out at a fancy restaurant. She herself didn't come; she had other matters to attend to.

* * *

Weiss wasn't allowed to go out without a small metal choker on her neck, preventing her from straying too far from her living quarters or getting into any fights; an electric shock would see to that. So, with choker donned, she drove through the streets to Blake's prison, Ruby sitting in the back of the car. It had been a while since they'd visited their friend, and before Weiss left, she wanted to do so again. Ruby offered to come with her, eager to see Blake again. Yang, having finished with her duties as a Huntress, had denied. She said that she had promised to meet Sun, but Weiss knew that, even if she really did intend to meet with Sun, that it was just an excuse not to go and see Blake. Not wanting to start an argument and being unable to blame the blonde anyway, she had accepted Yang's absence and taken Ruby with her. Yang was the one who had seen Blake's handiwork, what she'd done to Roman Torchwick. Yang was also the one who had to stop her. Weiss knew that it couldn't have been easy to do such a thing, and that it would be hard to look someone in the eye after seeing them do something you'd never have expected them to do.

"So...how was your first day in the Trenches?" Ruby asked, interrupting Weiss' thoughts of Yang. The white-haired woman scowled.

"It could have been better."

* * *

**Done! I have to say, I'm a little torn on this chapter. On one had, I'm quite proud of how I handled Weiss' experience in the Trenches. Her speech reminded me a little of something from Attack on Titan, to be honest, and I thought that it reflected on her character quite well, as well as on how she's changed as a person since her at Beacon. I also liked Blake and Cinder's brutal fight. On the other hand, though, I felt a little lost as to what to write next and how to pace the story, and I feel that Ruby and Yang's scene could have been better. This chapter really was more of a set-up chapter than anything else, since I have three major events planned. Weiss is leaving for three days on a dangerous mission, Yang is meeting Sun, and Weiss and Ruby are meeting Blake. Also, Blake wants to talk to Cinder about something. That conversation is going to be chock-full of information!**

**I still haven't gotten around to giving Weiss and Yang a scene together, though. I want it to happen, but I don't know when in the story they'll be able to meet. They're both busy, and Yang doesn't really talk to anyone aside from Ruby, so it's hard. But I feel that Weiss and Yang's relationship doesn't get touched upon as much as it should, but in fanfiction and the actual show. It's a shame; the two characters have such a good dynamic! Episodes 15 and 16 come to mind.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm introducing a new term in this chapter and I didn't have room to bring it up in conversation between the characters or in the story, so I'm just going to let everyone know so that there's no confusion. That term is The Fall, and I would have introduced it earlier had I not though of it just this chapter. What The Fall refers to is the period when Cinder led her allies to attack Vale; basically, the big war that made team RWBY super famous. I think it's pretty clever, personally.**

* * *

The restaurant they were eating at, The Three Little Pigs, was known for its specialty: three unique ways to serve pork. One dish was surrounded by pasta that was held together due to the efforts of a copious amount of melted cheese; it resembled a building made of straw. The other was surrounded by a different type of past, also held together with melted cheese; this one resembled a building made of wood. The third of the three dishes was closed in by yet another kind of pasta which was kept together by a special red sauce, and looked like a house made of bricks. The restaurant itself was certainly not fancy, and its special dishes were lambasted as being highly unhealthy. That was not a lie. It was not a place for high-end dining, but it certainly was expensive. It was also quite popular, despite the reputation brought to it by its specialties. As such, there were a good number of diners present when the group of fifteen intimidating criminals, identified as such by their telltale metal chokers. They were shocked and scared; some diners even left. However, as it was the law to serve any member of the Trenches as if they were normal citizens, the restaurant could do nothing about losing customers for the night. However, they had no intention of doing so even if they could; the fifteen new customers more than made up for the few people who left. While the diners were quite disturbed by their presence, the restaurant staff was completely unperturbed by the arrival of the criminals. They seated them at a large table and treated them with the amount of respect they might treat any other customer, especially the waiter. The amount of Lien he would receive in his tip depended on them, after all.

* * *

It had been an hour, and after ordering and eating, the group was quite full. They had all ordered from the three specialty dishes, and they weren't disappointed. As they finished up talking and polishing off what was left of their food and drink, one of the melee fighters, a musclebound man by the name of Roan, decided to bring up a topic that would completely change the course of the outing.

"So...what are we gonna do about the Schnee woman?" Next to him, another man, the former Hunter, balked. He almost dropped his cup and started choking on his soda. After a man next to him kindly clapped him on the back, he looked at Roan and frowned.

"We aren't going to do anything. She's with us one-hundred percent."

"Is she though?" The bull faunus asked calmly but intensely.

"Look, Bard's an idiot blinded by revenge. He probably made up some story because Weiss got him mad," the former Hunter said.

"Don't tell me you actually believe his garbage? Didn't you hear the speech she gave us?" One of the ranged fighters, a female wolf faunus, chimed in. The bull faunus glanced at her and the former Hunter before sighing.

"It could all be an act. Besides, you heard her. She doesn't like us. She's got no obligation to stick by us when we need her. You also know that she's got a bit of an ego. It's not a stretch to assume that she values her own life more than ours," she replied.

"And she's a Schnee. We all know what that family's like," Roan added on. By now, the remaining members of the group had taken sides. Some sided with the former Hunter, Garth, and the wolf faunus, Ursula. Other chose to side with Roan and the bull faunus, Lilac. Now, everyone ignored their meals.

"And we're seriously gonna judge her based on her heritage? We're murderers and thieves. Hell, some of us are even worse! We don't have a right to judge others. Not even a little," Garth said.

"No one's got a right to do anything, yet we do it anyway. Look, my caution isn't because I particularly dislike the woman. I just don't know her, and I can't trust someone I don't know. I can't take her little speeches at face value. We all know what Sylvester said, and it's not like anyone's coming up to deny him. Not even Schnee herself." Lilac replied calmly. Next to her, a male snake faunus hissed.

"This is Sylvester we're talking about. He probably made some threats and payoffs. We all know how he is about revenge!" He retorted.

"Even more damning, look at Weiss herself. She accepted us! All of us! She cares about our survival. She trained us and made us a little better than we were. We owe her more than misplaced doubt!" Garth added to the statement, drawing odd looks from those who opposed his view of Weiss.

"Since when were we on first name terms with her? I think you might be a little too obsessive. Getting like this over a woman is what landed you in jail in the first place, isn't that right?" Roan countered mockingly. At this, Garth bristled.

"You...that isn't even the topic at hand! This is about her, not us!"

"It is about us. It's our lives on the line, too. She's not the only one in the Trenches," Lilac said in a low, quiet voice, trying to calm Garth down. The former Hunter looked at her angrily before taking a deep breath and lowering his own voice.

"You're right, but...there's no need to bring the past into this," he said.

"Look, how about we just make a plan for if she does run off?" A human woman proposed, sounding annoyed with the whole argument.

"...Fine," Ursula yielded. She didn't see taking a precaution as such as bad idea.

"We shoot her in the leg. That bitch shows one sign that she's gonna run off, and we cripple her and get the hell out of there. If she tries something like that, she deserves to go to the Grimm anyway," Roan snarled. Garth glared daggers at him, but did nothing.

"...If you do decide to shoot her in the leg, she won't be facing the Grimm alone," was all he said.

"If I were her, I'd throw myself to the Grimm rather than take my chances with you," Roan said, smirking.

"I thought I said not to bring the past into this," Garth replied, a dangerous look in his eyes. If Lilac hadn't pulled the fork he was gripping from his hand, he would have crushed it and possibly used the utensil to stick Roan in the neck. He was, more so than anyone, sensitive about his criminal activities.

"Just saying," was the reply. Ursula glared at him, as did a large number of the other Trench members, before they returned to the main topic of conversation.

"Who's pulling the trigger?" The snake faunus asked, still not happy with the plan.

"Whoever has the clear shot. But remember; we're not doing this unless she's going to run. She's our best hope at living through the damn mission," Ursula spoke up, trying to get a clear agreement from her teammates. When she was satisfied that everyone agreed, she said no more.

"I'm just glad no one was around to hear that," Lilac sighed, assuming the conversation finished. However, its effects still lingered with Garth and Roan. While the others had brushed aside the issue as having dealt with a business decisions, in which survival was business, the two men were very angry with each other. Roan was disturbed and annoyed by Garth's passionate admiration and trust in Weiss, and Garth was mad at him for mentioning his past. Weiss was not the woman from all those years ago. She was different.

"She cares," Garth muttered under his breath. The waiter came with the check a few minutes later, interrupting the new conversation; which of their teammates they'd either recruit or kill during a Grimm apocalypse.

"Thank you for your patience," their black-haired waiter said in a cool, friendly voice as he walked away. Lilac regarded him with interest, deeming him attractive. He looked like someone she might have targeted back in her serial killer days.

* * *

Pyrrha had told him it would be fine. Nora had clapped him on the back, making him spit out his food, and told him the same thing. Ren, as always, was the voice of realism, reminding Jaune to be very careful not to mention anything about Weiss and warning that he'd fail if he did. Sylvester Bard couldn't know that she was involved in any way; he was quite angry with her and seemed intent on denying her anything that might make her happy. Jaune had once heard that, when his family was alive, Bard was a kinder man. He had a hard time believing it, though. Reflecting on that, he was even more convinced that his teammate was right. If Jaune wanted to get Ruby a job as a weaponsmith for his squad, he would have to act as if Weiss had nothing to do with the idea. And no matter what, he would do so. He already tortured himself by thinking about the day Ruby saved him and lost her legs, using her Semblance to get to him and pushing him aside before the Grimm's tail pierced her legs. He couldn't forgive himself for that one moment of weakness, that one moment where fear overtook him. Pyrrha was right. Battle was not forgiving. It didn't give second chances or do-overs. One moment of hesitation, one single step out of line, and you would pay for it. However, it wasn't Jaune who'd payed for his mistake. It was Ruby. Just thinking about it reminded him of the beginning of his first semester at Beacon. He was weak and helpless, and others got hurt for his hesitation. He was the idiot stuck in the tree while his comrades fought for his lives, the weak link, the fool who'd had dreams of being a hero. Jaune had grown out of that long ago. He had realized his foolishness and pride, and replaced them with wisdom and humility. He'd trained with anyone he thought could teach him, and asked for help whenever he could. And it payed off. Under the tutelage of Pyrrha, the one person he knew that he needed more than anyone or anything, he became a great Hunter. He even became a hero. She helped to channel his greatest strength, his massive Aura, and gave him the teachings he needed to overcome his greatest weakness: his skill on the battlefield. He became renown and admired by many, the famed leader of team JNPR. And he liked it. Jaune was glad to know that he was a true Hunter. He wasn't stuck in the tree; he was a leader on the battlefield. And he felt like it, too. Just not when he thought of Ruby. He'd failed her and it hurt him, not just because it made him feel weak, but because he hated that Ruby had lost her dream. He felt like he'd stolen it from her, the woman who had wanted to become a Huntress more than anyone, and who had more natural talent for it than anyone he'd ever known. He would do anything he could to get her closer to that dream, even if he knew that she couldn't quite achieve it.

* * *

Bard had grown rather reclusive since Weiss' defiance of his suicide mission. He only saw his secretary in person; he had all other meetings conducted via Scroll chat or email. As such, Jaune at least had the comfort of being in his home while he asked Bard to give him permission to get rid of their existing weapons maintenance person and hire Ruby. All hiring, after all, went through him. No one got hired or fired without his permission. Jaune didn't believe he'd have much trouble. For the meeting, he'd asked Weiss for proof of Ruby's exceptional skill with maintaining weapons, and she and Ruby had given him references from professors at both Signal and Beacon. Jaune found it funny that he'd be presenting references that he himself would be looking over, but this was a very split-second decision. Ruby had been looking into weapon maintenance as her alternative line of work, but there were no openings anywhere for such a job. The only reason Bard had allowed Jaune to bring up the issue of hiring her was that Weiss had asked his secretary to suggest it to him. For whatever reason, he had a soft spot for her. It also wasn't every day that one discussed hiring a world-renown hero to do something like weapon maintenance. He would, however, be amazed that Ruby hadn't considered the possibility of rejoining the First Division earlier had it not had such a painful memory associated with it.

* * *

"Um, Mr. Bard? Hello. It's me, Jaune. Well, you know that, but it just thought it would be rude to not greet you and then I just kind of said my name out of habit...I'll just shut up," Jaune said. Externally, he was smiling, albeit awkwardly. However, he groaned inwardly. He hadn't gotten off to a good start. He couldn't help being so nervous; Bard had always unnerved him.

"That would be wise. Now, you wanted to talk to me about Ruby Rose? I'm aware that she formerly led the First Division. I'm not surprised she'd want to come back. My secretary tells me you have some references," Bard said. He looked at Jaune coldly, as if he was staring through him. It made the blonde Hunter even more nervous.

"Yeah, uh, references. Those things...I sent them to you in a file. If you check your...nevermind, you know what to do. I just want to say that those references don't cover even half of Ruby's skill with this whole maintenance thing. She can make anything! She made at least three new weapons during The Fall. There's the-" Jaune was quickly cut off by Bard's waving hand.

"Enough. I've heard snippets about her. If these references are flattering, I don't doubt that she'll make a better maintenance person than the hack we already have. Will that be all, Arc? Or do you want to prattle on a little more?" Jaune sighed at his harshness, but was relieved all the same.

"No, I don't think so. Thank you so much. You won't regret this decision!"

"I haven't made any decision yet. When I do, I'll email you. Goodbye, Arc." Bard shut off the Scroll chat and Jaune shouted in glee, pumping his fist into the air.

"Pyrrha! He's on board! We're gonna have Ruby back on the team!"

* * *

Ruby and Weiss entered one of the most depressing rooms they had ever seen in their life. The prison visiting room was almost entirely colored gray. There were dark gray walls, light gray floor tiles, and tables and seats of the same color. The ceiling was white, and there were a few brightly-colored vending machines around the room, but that was it for any kind of variety. That was the entirety of the room. However, neither of the two women could call it depressing. They were too happy at seeing their friend. Blake sat alone at a circular table in the back of the room, giving a little wave. Her hands were shackled to the table. Ruby and Weiss made their way around other tables, hearing bits of conversation from other tables as they made their way to her, Ruby finding it hard to maneuver her wheelchair in such a crowded area. Both her and Weiss grimaced as they noticed the bruises on their friend's body.

"Hey. I guess Yang decided not to come again, huh?" Blake asked, smiling warmly. Weiss and Ruby both nodded, sighing.

"It's so good to see you again, Blake. Things have been...tough. We all miss you. Even Yang," the brunette said, grinning back at her friend. She reached her hand out to place around Blake's but Weiss grabbed her wrist as the guard nearby shot them a warning glance.

"No touching," the faunus said coyly.

"Right...so, what's up with those nasty bruises?" Ruby asked with her usual bluntness.

"I had a sparring match with Cinder," was the reply. Blake could see that even mentioning the woman's name made her friends unhappy, as a silence overtook the table. However, Weiss broke it quickly.

"I hope you didn't lose," she said.

"I didn't."

"You don't look like it. Were your injuries not treated?" The former heiress asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Apparently, being injured in here means being rendered unconscious. If you can still get up, you're fine," Blake said, not bothering to hide her annoyance. Even now, her injuries throbbed a little, bringing her constant dull pain.

"You can't be serious. That's abuse!" Weiss shouted, outraged. The guard threw another glance over at the three friends, and all three of them ignored it.

"It's the system," was the calm reply. Blake had always been a mellow person. She didn't attract too much attention, and didn't try to. She was also a survivor, someone who could and would endure pain, although only if she knew that she couldn't do anything about it. While Weiss admired that about her, she was frustrated by her friend's passive attitude towards the whole thing. She didn't like seeing Blake treated in such a manner. She may have committed a crime and she may have been arrested, but Weiss had learned long ago to accept her friends for who and what they were, no matter what.

"I hope you got to take the day to relax," Ruby chimed in.

"Mostly. So, what's going on in your lives? Besides the obvious, I mean." Blake swiftly changed the subject, clearly finished with talking about her day. She could be surprisingly forceful when she wanted to. Ruby beamed at the question. She was more than willing to unload a barrage of news into her friend's ears, but Weiss came to the rescue.

"Ruby, keep it short," she said curtly. The younger woman nodded and started talking.

"So...guess what?" She asked, pausing for dramatic effect and to let Blake take a guess.

"...Was there any progress made on your legs?" As she spoke, Ruby suddenly wished that she had just told her friend what had happened.

"Um, no...that situation is actually pretty complicated..." She answered, dodging around the question crudely.

"Snow, Inc. is no longer working with me. No progress will be made on that front for a while," Weiss said in an wavering, timid voice, steeling herself to whatever emotions might rise within her as she spoke. She did better than she had expected, but saying it out loud still hurt. Blake's eyes flashed with deadly malice almost as soon as Weiss finished talking. Her hands clenched into fists, and her confused expression turned into an angry one.

"Of course. I should have known. They can't associate with the disgraced hero, can they? It's bad for business," she snarled, her words quick and scathing.

"Yeah, it's a bummer. I was...sad when I heard it. Really sad. But no use being sad when you're about to get your backup dream job, right?" Ruby said quickly and happily, trying to keep Blake in a talkative mood. She knew how quiet and brooding the faunus got when she was angry. She had been the same way after Adam was killed and after Yang refused to see her for their first visit. Ruby also knew that, if she got even angrier, she'd move from quiet anger to loud, forceful rage, and that wouldn't be fun for anyone. Ruby just wanted a nice visit with her and Weiss. She didn't want things to get awkward, especially since this was Weiss' last day of freedom before leaving on her three day mission.

"Backup?" Blake asked curiously, forcing herself to shake off her rage. She knew an attempt to lighten the mood when she heard one, and no one had tried to do so more than Ruby, who grinned at her friend's mood change along with Weiss.

"Yep!"

"What, are you the official taste tester for a bakery?"

"No, even better. I get to do weapon maintenance for the First Division of the Eastern Vale Hunting Branch! And guess who's leading it now? I'll give you a hint: it's a blonde who's currently in a happy relationship with a certain redhead we know," Ruby replied, leaning in closer to Blake out of sheer excitement. She smiled widely to see the realization seep into her friend's face.

"Ah, I see. Ruby, that's great! Although, I must say, I didn't know that Yang was into Pyrrha," Blake said jokingly. Ruby chuckled, and Weiss smiled at her friends' lightheartedness.

"Yeah, it was a real surprise to me, too," she said, playing along.

"Nothing's been confirmed yet, as this was a sudden decision; I only recently had the idea and contacted Jaune about it," Weiss added on, bringing the conversation back to reality. Blake sighed.

"Did the prison guards have you leave your sense of humor in one of the lockers or something?" She teasingly asked her friend. Weiss looked insulted, putting her hands on her hips and leaning towards Blake.

"Excuse me? I'm just trying to have a conversation!"

"A boring one," Ruby said, making herself laugh. Blake laughed along with her, and Weiss looked angrily at them both.

"I might have more of a sense of humor if your comedy didn't involve laughing at my expense, you know," she scolded.

"Isn't being able to laugh at yourself is a positive trait?" Blake asked, trying to get under Weiss' skin.

"Only if you do something amusing," was the retort. The two black-haired women grinned widely as they antagonized their friend. It was quite easy to annoy her, making her an irresistible target for teasing. However, as the conversation drifted on, the three eventually started talking about Weiss' first day at the Trenches, which she was more than happy to rant on. It had been a tough day.

* * *

Yang looked up at the sky as it bathed the ground below in orange light. She smiled and glanced into the window of a nearby shop. Her hands slowly brushed through her hair, admiring how it shone brilliantly even compared to the light of the sun itself. Today was a good day to be outside, and she was glad to spend it with someone else. While her meeting with Sun was an escape tactic to get out of having to see Blake, she was still glad that she wouldn't be spending the evening alone. The two had planned to meet at a cafe near Sun's hotel known simply as Delicacy, and Yang was walking by just now, the window she saw herself in mere being feet away from the meeting place. She even saw Sun waiting there, waving nonchalantly. Yang grinned to see that his presence was taken so well; quite a few restaurants looked down upon, and in the case of expensive places in the center of the city outright refused to serve, faunus customers. She knew the owner of Delicacy and was aware of her sympathy for the faunus and outrage at discrimination towards them. Yang quickly made her way to Sun's table, taking a seat. She was passed a soda and she looked at it before graciously snatching it out of Sun's hands.

"What, no booze?" She asked jokingly. The blonde man pushed down his awkwardness at how lightly his friend joked about her issues with alcohol and laughed, not wanting to get her annoyed. He just wanted to talk.

"Nice place," he said. Yang nodded in agreement; it was. The tables had bright green umbrellas to block the sun, large padded chairs, and tables that had been meticulously cleaned. Surrounding the outdoor dining area was a shiny metal fence that formed a square around the perimeter, and directly behind that fence was a similarly patterned bush, the longest bush that Yang had ever seen.

"You make a big deal about hanging out and the first thing you do is make small talk? Come on, Sun. You're better than that," she said, finishing her glance around the area.

"In my defense, it is a nice place. So, I heard that Ruby and Weiss are visiting Blake?" Yang nodded, her smile falling a little. Sun didn't fail to notice that.

"Yep."

"How's she doing?" The blonde man asked, his smile leaving his face. He didn't want to test Yang's patience with the topic any more than he needed to, but he found his stomach grow queasy whenever he or someone else brought up Blake. He honestly didn't know what to think about what she'd done. He thought that she had stopped that kind of violence when she left the White Fang. When he heard what she'd done, he knew that her old habits had returned. Maybe they hadn't even left. He never stopped worrying about her, but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if she had always had the capacity for such horrifying actions. She'd killed thirty people and tracked down Roman Torchwick, almost torturing the man to death. That wasn't an impulsive action. Thinking about such things made him nervous and curious, and he had to ask Yang at least once. He himself was too scared to visit her, too scared of who he might find waiting for him. In that respect, he sympathized with Yang.

"...I don't know. I'm sure that Ruby's gonna tell me all about her, though. I could fill you in," Yang said kindly, trying not to crush the soda she held in her hand.

"I think I'd like that. You know, speaking of Ruby, I don't know much about what she's doing these days. How's she dealing with...life?" Sun asked, quick to change the subject and careful not to directly mention Ruby's disability. He knew that he was bringing up topics that Yang didn't care for, but he wanted to know how the others were doing. He hadn't seen them in a while.

"Oh, you know Ruby. Nothing keeps her down for long! Hell, she even got a job! She's doing weapon maintenance for the Easter Vale Hunting Branch, First Division," Yang replied, sounding more chipper than Sun expected.

"Really? Damn. She just keeps on going, doesn't she? There isn't much that can keep her down."

"Well, to be honest, it was Weiss who had the idea and did a lot of the groundwork. It also helps that Jaune is leading the First Division now," Yang said, her voice growing somber at the mention of Jaune, something that didn't go unnoticed. However, as she finished speaking, Sun chuckled. He and the blonde Hunter hadn't got off on the right foot; he had shown a little too much interest in Pyrrha for Jaune's liking. Of course, that didn't last long, and the two men had beceme fast friends. It had been a while since they'd talked, though, and being busy with life as a vigilante didn't help matters.

"Jaune, huh? Figures. He really came into his own during The Fall," Sun said, stretching his arms into the air. He'd been sitting for a while and needed to move. Behind him, his tail was waving around wildly, moving out of the way of anyone who passed with a barely conscious effort on the part of Sun himself.

"Yeah...sure," Yang sighed. The blonde faunus had almost forgotten that it was Jaune who Ruby had saved at the price of losing the use of her legs. He sighed as well; there were a lot of issues that Yang didn't enjoy talking about or confronting these days, and she seemed to be more eager than ever to avoid the things that hurt her the most. It was a change that hurt Sun to behold. The Yang he knew never ran from her problems. She may have confronted them tactlessly, but she confronted them. She had never tried to escape or forget.

"Well, it's nice to hear he's doing alright. What about Weiss, though? Any updates on what she's doing? Whatever it is, I know that it sure as hell can't be fun," he said, reluctantly changing the topic. He was here to talk, not criticize.

"No, it's not. She's going on a three day mission tomorrow. From what I hear, her team isn't ready at all. According to her, most of them kind of suck," Yang answered his question eagerly, happy to change the subject.

"And those were her exact words?" Sun asked jokingly.

"I took a few creative liberties here and there. You should be thankful; her exact words were like some kind of tongue-twister," was the equally humorous reply.

"That doesn't sound good."

"It's not."

"Well, this is Weiss we're talking about. I'm pretty sure she doesn't need a team," Sun said confidently. Yang nodded, but her expression was still one of worry.

"It's her team I'm worried about, really. Who knows what kinds of sickos she has to put up with in the Trenches? There could be rapists in there, and I'm not comfortable with her being around people like that. It's not like she's very nice, either. She pissed off the wrong people and that got her landed in this situation; she could damn well piss off the wrong people now."

"And you're actually worried some criminal could overpower her?" Sun asked. He, for one, was not.

"No, I'm not. It's just...would you want a friend being around people like that?" The blonde woman asked. With that question, she had struck a nerve. It took her a second, but she soon realized it.

"Don't even think about getting on my case," she said forcefully.

"I'm not. And if you get your act together, I won't have to," Sun replied quicker than his mind could stop his mouth. He instantly regretted his words, but knew that there was no turning back. And if he was going to discuss Yang's issues, he would put his all into it.

"You know, for a guy who's basically fallen off of the radar and didn't give a shit about any of us until yesterday, you're really looking to stick your nose into my business," was the scathing retort to his instinctive threat.

"I didn't stop caring about anyone!"

"Then why didn't you visit Blake? Why didn't you visit Ruby?!"

"Because I have a life to live, Yang! And so do you. Running away from it won't make it go away. And the last time I checked, you're not visiting Blake either." The two were getting loud, and people began to look at them.

"Um, excuse me? Do you mind keeping it down? People are trying to eat," a nearby waiter said as gently as he could. Both Sun and Yang gave him a withering glare before continuing on with their conversation in quieter voices.

"I'm living my life, and I'm not freeloading to do it," Yang said. She hadn't even touched her soda, and now she was looking to crush it in her hand. However, showing impressive restrain, her hand fell to the table instead of wrapping around the tin can and crumpling it like a piece of paper.

"It's not freeloading, it's earning my keep. And last time I checked, hiding from your friends and getting drunk every night isn't exactly a stable lifestyle. The only person you've even been talking to is Ruby, right? You've pretty much given up on everything else. The only reason you get to work on time is because your sister's practically your maid!" Sun hissed in return.

"And how do you know that?" Yang asked angrily.

"I heard from Nora. Even she's noticing your weird habits."

"Nora, huh? Great."

"Getting shit-faced in a bar with the sleaziest assholes in the city isn't healthy. Drowning your problems and worries and regrets in shitty alcohol isn't healthy, and acting like Ruby's the only person in the whole world isn't healthy. She's not the only one who needs you and wants you to be around, you know. And seeing as how you go out to get drunk and ruin your liver every night, I'm willing to bet that you're not even there for her all the time!" Sun growled, standing up in a rage. His voice was low, but his body was tense and his sudden rise from his chair drew attention. Yang made a rude hand gesture before walking away, and Sun slapped some money on the table before chasing her. He didn't even care how much.

"Yang, you can't walk away from this too," Sun said to her, calming down. He had to try and convince her to talk more; he didn't want things to end like this.

"Last time I checked, I can do whatever I want," was the reply.

"I thought you were a grown-ass woman, not some bratty kid. But who knows? You really do a great job of acting like one," Sun shot back.

"Great! A lecture on maturity from Sun Wukong, the man who can't even function in the adult world. I might take you a little more seriously if you didn't live off of handouts from people you hardly know!"

"Why the hell are you making this about me?"

"Because I can do and say whatever I want, and I don't need you acting like my dad! You want to know why I don't talk to other people much, why I don't normally go to hang out with people? It's because whenever I do, I have to endure people like you telling me how to run my life! I have to deal with the shit people give me and all of the concern and pity and all of that crap, and I don't want or need it! What I do shouldn't matter. I'm not the one who's in jail or who's in the Trenches or who can't her fucking legs! You want to help someone? Then find someone who deserves it and even more importantly, who actually wants it!" As Yang finished her outburst, her eyes turning bright red, flames extending from her body and flickering within inches of Sun, she turned and walked away. Sun knew that he had made a huge mistake. He had approached the problem the wrong way, and now Yang wouldn't let him get involved anymore. He'd failed, and knowing that hurt him. Meddling anymore would only make things worse. So, he did the only thing he could think of. Whipping out his phone, he called Nora. He needed something to take his mind off of Yang and get out his pent-up frustration, and he hoped she could give him that something. The anti-faunus groups, after all, were an active bunch, and they weren't difficult to track down.

* * *

"And then he tripped and fell! Can you believe that? I know that he uses his eyes more than his legs, being a marksman, but he needs proper coordination! Any good Hunter or Huntress needs proper coordination! He needs reflexes and instinct and he seems to have none! And it's not like the others are much better. Lilac has practically no motivation and fights like she's been hit by a tranquilizer, Garth's too quick to react and is as jumpy as Ruby on a sugar high, and Mona keeps getting thrown off-balance by her own weapon! You'd think that someone who uses their fists would be stronger than that, but no! Not her! And those three are the skilled ones. I've already told you about some of the others, and as for the rest, I'm fairly certain that Jaune was more skilled than half of them before he came to Beacon! This is not a group of fighters! This is a group of outcasts with nowhere else to go! No one in their right mind could expect these people to be soldiers!" Weiss said, her voice not a shout but not quiet, either. The guard didn't throw her a dirty look, but people nearby were able to hear her loudly enough so that they turned their heads. Blake and Ruby listened to her quietly, holding back smiles at their friend's ranting. Weiss could go on talking almost as long as Ruby herself if she got angry enough.

"It sounds like a troublesome situation," Blake noted.

"Thank you for acknowledging that! Ruby just said that I needed to rally the troops, whatever that entails," Weiss scoffed.

"You have to be inspiring, Weiss! You have to have some sort of cool speech!" Ruby said, her eyes seeming to shine with the intensity of her gaze.

"I had a speech."

"Yeah, but it wasn't really inspiring. You have to say that things are gonna be fine and that you believe in your team! That's what I always did. Even if you don't have real hope, I've found that faking it works just as well," was the younger woman's reply.

"Faking it? Are you saying that all of your rallying speeches were complete lies?" Blake asked her.

"Well...not all of them. Just a few. Maybe a little more. But confidence is the best weapon, you know. Believe in yourself, and you can reach heights you never dreamed of," she replied. Blake smiled, chuckling at her optimism. Even bound in a wheelchair, she still had her hopeful spirit. However, the faunus woman knew that such a thing wasn't always a positive trait.

"Confidence alone doesn't win fights, you know," she said. Ruby frowned at her.

"It's not like there's any harm in pretending it does," she replied.

"I'm sure that we can all agree that confidence is good but it can be delusional and blinding if there's too much of it, but that's not the point! I don't want confidence. I want warriors!" Weiss interrupted.

"Sometimes you have to work with who you have," Ruby said sagely. The former heiress couldn't help but admire her partner's wisdom. She had really grown since they'd first met; at least in some ways.

"I do hope you aren't using us as examples," Weiss said sharply. Blake grinned.

"Don't worry, she's just talking about you."

"Blake!" Weiss hissed indignantly. Suddenly, Ruby spoke up, interrupting as Blake was about to yank her friend's chain with another remark.

"Hey, Weiss. The guns...did you say that they had visible Dust chambers?" She asked, receiving a nod in reply.

"Why does it matter?" Weiss queried, responded to Ruby's question with another.

"No reason, really. Say, can we stop at From Dust Till Dawn on the way home?" Was the not-so-subtle reply.

"Very well," was the answer. Blake smiled. They both knew that Ruby had an idea to help Weiss' ranged teammates, but didn't ask any more questions. Instead, the black-haired faunus sighed, noticing the guard walking up to them.

"Visiting hours are over, it seems," she said.

"What? There's no way we've been here that long!" Ruby exclaimed in disbelief.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Weiss said, smiling warmly.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye. Stay safe, Weiss. I have nothing but confidence in you, but don't let your team bring you down. Work around their weaknesses with your strengths. And Ruby...good luck," Blake told her friends, her tone and expression gentle and encouraging.

"I will. And you stay safe too. Be good, don't cause trouble. Maybe you could join the Trenches with me!" Weiss advised. Ruby almost hugged Blake, but settled for a small goodbye, waving as she reluctantly used her wheelchair to move away. Weiss followed her, and she put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder as they left.

* * *

**Finished! This is the longest chapter so far, and I didn't want it to be super long so that people would have to slog through it, so Cinder and Blake's conversation is moving to next chapter. Sorry! As it turned out, there was a lot more that I wanted to cover in this chapter than I thought. As always, reviews are more than welcome, and I'll gladly try to keep in mind any constructive criticism that anyone might have. I really have nothing to say about this chapter, so...tune in next time on Ever After: episode 6 for Weiss' journey, Blake and Cinder's mysterious conversation, and more! **

**I've always wanted to do that.**


	6. Chapter 6

"How are your injuries? I must say, it was rather unfair of them not to treat you," Cinder said casually, lying down on the lower bunk of the bed she and Blake shared. The raven-haired faunus had been led into their cell. There was an hour until curfew, and Blake had some questions to ask her cellmate. The guard left after a second-long silence, and she answered.

"I feel a little better...just need to sleep it off."

"I must say, you don't look like much of a winner," Cinder noted.

"I don't feel like one. It's funny how the loser looks a lot better," she responded, leaning against her cell wall, taking in the boring gray metal that encased her.

"Oh, no need to be so sore about it," her cellmate responded. Blake almost chuckled; the pun was actually amusing.

"And now you're making insulting puns. You just don't know how to lose with pride, do you? Although I suppose I don't have to ask you that." Cinder sighed, pretending to sound offended.

"Yes, I know that your team foiled my nefarious plans. No need to rub it in."

"As much as I'd like to do just that, I actually have questions for you," Blake said. Her tone quickly switched from playful to dead serious. Cinder recognized that tone from when the two were first put in the same cell. Blake had warned her to keep her head down, or, as she had said directly, she would take it off. She certainly didn't mess around. Deciding to humor her, the black-haired woman obliged her cellmate.

"Ask away. I think defeating me earns you as much." Blake didn't waste time. As soon as Cinder gave her permission, she asked her first question.

"You said that the Grimm have souls. How does that information pertain to the faunus?"

* * *

Cinder hadn't started her war against the world for her own selfish ends, as the media and the citizens of Vale would like to believe. She did ally herself with questionable people, though. She worked with the White Fang and used Roman Torchwick, a idea that hadn't worked as well as she'd hoped. He had attempted to double-cross her twice, his second attempt succeeding. He had first tried to ally with the Schnee Dust Company, and that plan failed when the former Schnee heiress rebelled against her family and exposed their cruelty towards the faunus and shady business dealings. She'd even gone as far as to defeat her father in combat. The second attempt was far more effective. Blake herself defeated Torchwick and had forced him to give her any information on the White Fang that he had. In exchange, he would receive immunity for his crimes. His criminal network was destroyed, but as Blake soon found out, he had no problem building a new one. It was his information that had played a big part in bringing the White Fang to its knees, funnily enough. In the end, he was all about self-preservation, and he figured it would be wiser to take his chances with Blake than with Cinder. That had been a wise choice. However, despite her apparent cruelty and penchant for the heartless destruction of anyone and anything that got in her way, Cinder was fighting for a noble cause.

* * *

It had all started when Cinder was just a child. She always had an exceptionally strong Aura. She was able to preform Aura and Semblance-related feats on the level of an adult when she was just twelve. However, there was more to her than just sheer power. She was able to sense something as well. During her time in Signal, she began to notice something odd about the Grimm. She'd always been told that they were humankind's greatest enemy, hell-bent on destroying them and all they had created. That, for the most part, was true. However, she'd also been told that the Grimm had no souls. On top of that, she had been told that there was light and dark in everything. One could not exist without the other. So she was always confused by the assumption that the Grimm had no souls or Aura. If there was truly light and dark in everything, then why did people so casually write the Grimm off as creatures of darkness, born from darkness and returning to it upon their demise? She always suspected that there was more to them, and she was right. One day, at Signal, she strayed from her group during a field trip and met a Beowolf. In that Beowolf, she felt something. It was faint, but it was there. Reaching out to touch the beast, it seemed to sense that she felt its soul. Their Aura's seemed to connect, giving the two an understanding that they would not hurt each other, but the moment was short-lived. A professor had found her and slain the Beowolf with a quick decapitation. Cinder screamed and woke up in the infirmary. But the Cinder who woke up wasn't the same as the one who'd fainted. She knew something the world had forgotten, ignored, or never knew in the first place. Grimm were not soulless creatures of darkness. They were no different from anyone else.

* * *

As Cinder grew, she found that her incredible Aura gave her the ability to connect with the Grimm on a deeper level. She still obliged her professors, killing the Grimm on missions, but the more she did so, the angrier she grew. She began to pick fights with other students, sometimes going beyond verbal battles and becoming physical. She quickly gained a reputation as a problem child, and the only reason she had been accepted into Beacon was her unparalleled skill with Aura and Semblance use. That same skill allowed her to learn more about the Grimm than she had ever imagined. They were no mysterious beings of darkness. They had evolved just as humans had. First, there were animals. They were the first living beings on earth that weren't microscopic. From them, humans were born. And as humans fought to survive, they began to damage the animal population. In the olden days, many species were driven to extinction by humans. So, when the Grimm evolved from animals, they inherited a fear of humanity. However, unlike animals, they also inherited the power and will to fight back. With fear came anger, and that anger drove them to protect themselves and their animal ancestors and wipe humanity off the face of the earth. Only Dust saved them from the onslaught that was the Grimm. Eventually, they built societies and drove their enemies to the outskirts, but never to extinction. No Grimm species had ever been completely wiped out.

* * *

It wasn't long after society was built that the faunus evolved from humans. They were subject to extreme discrimination, being executed, tortured, and treated like lesser beings. They were put in zoos, enslaved, and the slightest step out of line could end in a faunus being murdered, raped, or both. Cinder hadn't learned this through the Grimm. She had only experienced glimpses of their history through their Aura. They couldn't speak, but they could communicate their experiences through the sharing of Aura. She had learned of this through old records and teachings in schools that would educate students about such history. The young Cinder quickly grew to sympathize with the faunus and her fights were mostly caused by her coming to the defense of a bullied faunus student. She nursed her rage at all of the injustice her entire teenage life. In Beacon, however, things looked up. The school was highly progressive in terms of respecting the faunus' rights and treating them as they deserved to be treated; as equals to the rest of humanity. Cinder also made three very important friends, Glynda Goodwitch being among them. She was placed on a team with the blonde girl and became that team's leader. Emerald and Mercury were also on that team, and were her other two friends throughout her time at the combat school. However, it wasn't long before she couldn't bring herself to harm the Grimm anymore. In fact, she had decided to outright leave Beacon and work in the shadows, waiting to strike at Vale and the world. She would destroy the injustice and bring peace to the Grimm and the faunus. Accompanied by Emerald and Mercury, on the eve of her senior year graduation, she asked Glynda if she would join her. Glynda refused, and after trying to stop them, was beaten half to death. It was only through Cinder's realization of what she'd done and her crippling guilt that she survived; the black-haired girl tried to heal her wounds as best she could before leaving. The rest, from there, was history. Her power grew with her influence, and she recruited the White Fang and Roman Torchwick in her mission. But in the end, she was defeated.

* * *

"I told you about my history. You know what I know and how I know it," Cinder said, her usual calm, seductive tone replaced by a unwavering, unamused voice. Blake nodded, indicating with her hand that Cinder should go on. She obliged.

"The faunus, as anyone with half a brain knows, evolved from humans. However, there's more to it than that. The faunus and the Grimm came to be in a very similar manner. The difference is that, while the Grimm evolved from beings with a...less developed intelligence, the faunus evolved from beings with a higher level of thought. As such, they are far more in touch with their Aura and Semblance. Now that doesn't necessarily make them more powerful than humans...just different. There is light and darkness in every being. Humans are in touch with the light, the Grimm are in touch with the darkness, animals have an Aura so strange that they seem to be in touch with both sides, and the faunus are very similar. The light illuminates and protects. It is what allows our Aura to shield us from harm, both physical and mental. The darkness gathers and strikes, granting us power. It is what allows us to use our Aura to fell out foes. The faunus are attuned to both, and unlike animals, have the brainpower to use their abilities to the fullest. That's what Adam did. He sacrificed his protection for destruction. By becoming stronger, he allowed the darkness to slip into his mind. He opened himself to the destructive instinct of the Grimm, and it nearly consumed him." Blake listened patiently to Cinder, her thoughts growing more doubtful as she listened to her cellmate's words.

"Are you saying that all faunus can do this? That, by using their Aura and Semblance in a certain way, they can practically become Grimm?" She asked, her voice rising a little. Cinder smiled at her, trying to reassure the faunus woman.

"No. Most faunus cannot. It's easier to use Aura as a shield than a sword; most don't have that kind of connection with the dark side of their power. But some do. That isn't a bad thing. Look at what Adam was able to do. You and your team could hardly bring him down. But, as I said, that power cost him his sanity. He became unstable." Blake couldn't help but cringe as memories of her fight with Adam came up. She had just barely managed to finish him off; he'd knocked her teammates unconscious after an intense battle, leaving just the two of them. That fight had been one of the most tragic events she ever had to partake in. Just thinking about how unstable Adam was, how out of touch he was with himself and the world around him, made her feel empty inside. It was a feeling she didn't expect to grow out of.

"You're the same, Blake. I can feel it. Torchwick might be able to attest to that," Cinder said, her signature tone coming back into her voice. Blake narrowed her eyes.

"I made that decision all by myself. I was far from unstable when I gutted that man like the pig he is," she responded. Cinder chuckled.

"Maybe. But you don't need to be aware of any kind of instability. It just occurs, and you never know what it is until it's happened. It's like instinct."

"And how would you know?" Blake asked, her eyes narrowed. She had learned what she had wanted, but now she had even more questions.

"The Grimm," Cinder answered. She lay down on her pillow and closed her eyes.

"Nighty night, Blake. Sweet dreams," she said. Cinder was clearly done talking. Blake considered whether she wanted to force her to talk, and even, for a split second, had her mind set on doing it. But she knew it would be useless, and if she started a fight, her day would go from bad to worse. Opting to mull over what she'd learned, she climbed onto her bunk and lay with her back up.

"Good night, Cinder. Thank you for your time," Blake said, muttering an obscenity under her breath afterwards

* * *

_Blake and the others had been having lunch at Ruby's house, a small cottage on the northern outskirts of Beacon. It was snowy there, so Ruby had prepared a hot meal with a significant amount of help from Weiss and a significant amount of interruption from Yang. The four close friends sat at a small, smooth wooden table. Around them, the bright lights and roaring fire in the room next door helped to make the house feel both literally and figuratively warmer. The house itself had dark brown walls made of wood, and a polished amber floor. As a child, Ruby had always talked about living in a massive mansion with all of the money she would make as a Huntress. However, as she grew and matured, she decided a smaller, more cozy house was what would make her happy. That, plus the fact that Hunters and Huntresses didn't make much money to begin with, influenced her decision to buy the small cottage recommended to her by her sister. Blake was glad she did. It was generally where the former teammates met whenever they wanted to talk together like they had back at Beacon, and it was by far the best place for it. The small rooms covered in Ruby's dirty laundry reminded Blake of their dorm. The younger woman even had a bunk bed, for some strange reason. She was the only one who lived there._

* * *

_"Pretty good, huh?" Ruby boasted, her hands on her hips as she watched Yang's, Weiss', and Blake's reactions to her meal.  
_

_"You have no claim to that pride. I practically made this myself, as you know. If it were up to you, we'd be eating cup noodles or some vulgar dish of that nature," Weiss scolded. Ruby frowned._

_"So what? Noodles are cool too," she said._

_"Way to burst her bubble, Snow Angel. You're a real ray of sunshine," Yang teased._

_"You're even worse. We could have been eating at least fifteen minutes ago had you not been 'taste-testing' the food!" Weiss said, turning to admonish Yang._

_"And she still has room for more," Blake chimed in, smiling coyly._

_"Hell yeah I do! This stuff is the bomb!" The blonde woman turned to her younger sister and gave her a thumbs-up._

_"Now you're just mocking me," Weiss sighed._

_"What was that? Sorry, I didn't hear you over the sound of my devouring Ruby's amazing dish."_

_"I'm done talking to you. Blake, do you have anything intelligent to say?" Blake swallowed her mouthful of food before responding, flashing Yang a quick, knowing look._

_"Nothing. I'm just enjoying Ruby's culinary feats. She's certainly come into her own as a cook, wouldn't you agree?" She replied. Yang beamed and Weiss did the exact opposite._

_"I shouldn't have expected anything different from you," Weiss sighed. Ruby grinned at Blake from across the table, and her smile was returned.  
_

_"So, Blake. I heard that Adam's living with you now. Got anything to say about that?" Yang asked, changing the subject quickly. She had been wondering about Adam for a white now, hoping to mention him to Blake. Granted, she just wanted to tease her about living with an attractive man and maybe ask some questions to throw her friend off-guard, but she was genuinely curious. Adam had once been a part of Blake's life, back when she was among the misguided faunus in the White Fang. She wanted to know if Adam really had changed since The Fall, or if he was just trying to bring Blake back to the life she'd left behind, even after the White Fang was gone._

_"Not really. He is looking for work, though," Blake responded. She was a little surprised that Yang was so curious, but decided that it wasn't too strange. He had once tried to kill her, after all. Yang's curiosity and possible concern for her friend was understandable._

_"Is it...weird?" Ruby asked bluntly. Blake narrowed her eyes._

_"Weird how?" She asked._

_"Uh...is there any tension?" Ruby asked again, not being any clearer. Blake grinned. She thought she knew what Ruby was curious about, but decided to have a little fun with her before addressing the actual issue. It wasn't something she was incredibly eager to talk about anyways.  
_

_"Ruby Rose, I never thought you'd want to know about something like that! I guess you really are getting older. And no, we aren't having-" Blake was quickly cut off by Weiss, who seemed to know where she was going and didn't like it. _

_"You know what Ruby means; don't make this weird. No one wants to know about your romantic escapades."  
_

_"Maybe we do," Yang responded._

_"No, we don't."_

_"We're all grown women here. We can talk about this kind of stuff, can't we?"_

_"Those kinds of things are...private," Weiss said forcefully. Ruby, listening to the conversation, had started to blush.  
_

_"T-That isn't what I meant!" She said, embarrassed. _

_"I know, I know. And no, we're fine. Adam may be a figure from my past, but he's just as focused on the present as we are. He's...getting better," Blake said, taking pity on the youngest of the four. Ruby was no child and no stranger to romance, but she wasn't interested in any of her friends' love lives and didn't want them thinking she was. _

_"Oh...okay. That's good to hear. I was just...worried, I guess. I haven't seen Adam since The Fall," the cloaked young woman replied. Next to her, Weiss frowned._

_"Does anyone else hear something?" She asked. Ruby shrugged, and Weiss excused herself. Yang, as soon as the former heiress left, reached over to pick some food off of her plate._

_"This stays between us, okay?" She asked, grinning deviously. Ruby and Blake chuckled and nodded. Suddenly, Weiss spoke loudly.  
_

_"Ruby, you left the TV on!"_

_"Sorry..." Ruby said sheepishly. However, Weiss didn't turn it off. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again. Her voice was quiet and trembling ever so slightly, as if she was afraid of something._

_"I...I think you should all come here. There's something you need to see."_

* * *

_"Last night, authorities found a a man savagely beaten to death in an alley. Police suspect that one of the numerous anti-faunus groups was responsible for the crime, as the man found was, in fact, a faunus. On the alley walls, 'death to the animals' was scrawled, presumably in the victim's blood. Also found at the scene were small blood splotches on the ground that did not match the victim's. The victim most likely fought back. The man, later identified as Adam Taurus-" Blake quickly ripped the remote from Weiss' hands and turned the TV off, her grip tightening. Weiss, Yang, and Ruby looked at their teammate with eyes filled with horror as she crushed the remote in her hand. Ruby walked up to her friend and grabbed her hand gently. She quickly pulled away, muttering an apology as she turned around and walked away.  
_

_"Blake..."_

_"I...I need to go."_

_"Blake, wait. Where are you going?" Weiss asked, worried about what her friend might do. Blake turned around, revealing the tears that had started falling from her eyes._

_"I want to see him."_

_"Then we're coming with you," Yang said. The three women moved towards their friend, and she coughed, holding back a sob. She didn't want to talk much, lest she lost control and burst into tears. She didn't want to be paralyzed by a crying fit. Not now.  
_

_"Okay."_

* * *

Blake awoke, bolting up, and opened her mouth just before a hand clamped over it. She was sweating profusely and her eyes were wide. She turned her head to the side and looked at Cinder. It was her hand that prevented her from screaming.

"What are you doing?" Blake hissed, using one arm to shove Cinder's hand away and turning gracelessly so that the other arm propped her up and she could look directly at her cellmate.

"Keeping you from getting in trouble. You scream and wake up the whole cell block...well, no one's going to be happy with you." The faunus woman sighed, her mind going from frantic and terrified to calm. She realized exactly what Cinder had done.

"Thank you," she said. Despite being in a calmer state of mind, she was still breathing heavily. She wiped sweat from her forehead as it dripped down to her eyes, and Cinder watched calmly.

"That must have been some dream. When I heard creaking from above me and saw the bed moving...well, that was pretty suggestive. Being the curious woman I am, I wanted to see if you really had the audacity to pleasure yourself in a prison, while sharing a cell, in the middle of the night." Blake didn't even react to her joke. She was still thinking about her dream. Her mind wasn't in the present.

"Not even a half-smile? Oh well." Still, Blake gave no response.

"You know, you could at least tell me what you were dreaming about before I go back to bed."

"Adam. I dreamed about his death." Cinder's eyes widened and her smile faltered. It wasn't at what Blake had said, however. It was that she had said in the first place.

"I'll be honest; I didn't expect an honest answer from you."

"Why would I lie?" Blake asked.

"Well, you are very mysterious."

"I'm quiet. There is a difference." Cinder chuckled. Blake finally saw her as a friend. There was no other explanation. She'd been prying answers out of Cinder without offering anything in return the entire time they'd been cellmates, and she had just revealed her fear. She had just told Cinder about something raw and emotional, something that left her vulnerable. True friendship was the only explanation.

"In any event, sleep well and don't wake me up again, if you can help it. Good night," Cinder said, retreating to the bottom bunk. Blake sighed and let her head fall onto her pillow.

"Good night."

* * *

Weiss yawned, stretching her arms to the ceiling. Her feet slipped into comfy gray slippers as she sat up and left the coziness of her bed. She walked slowly to the kitchen, hands running absentmindedly through her hair. Reaching into the refrigerator, she dug around for a few seconds before pulling out two eggs and a carton of milk. She put the milk on the counter and reached into one of her numerous cupboards and got a small bowl out. She placed the eggs in it and turned around, prepared to find a pan, when a loud buzzing noise shot through the house. Weiss cringed, and after a second or two, began to walk to the door. She threw it open, prepared to give an angry glare to whoever thought it was a good idea to ring the doorbell so early in the morning and didn't even get the chance to curl her lips downward. Her mouth hung open a little and she blinked in surprise.

"Yang?" The blonde woman nodded, two bags in her hand. She was smiling widely, but the dark circles under her eyes indicated a clear dislike for being up so early. Even early in the morning, however, her hair was as immaculately groomed to look as wild as possible. Why she put so much effort into making her hair look like she put no effort into it at all, Weiss would never know. However, that was far from her thoughts now; the mere fact that Yang had showed up was all-consuming, leaving no room for any other thought.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty. What's with the weird look?" Yang asked, a lopsided grin plastered on her face.

"You...you never come to visit me. Especially not at this hour."

"Well, now I'm here."

"Right...well, it's good to see a friend before my first mission. Please, come in. Or do you just want to drop off whatever is in those bags?" Weiss asked, hoping that Yang would stay. Aside from just wanting to talk to a friend, it had been over a month since she had a real conversation with Yang. She wanted to know what was going on in her friend's life.

"I'm up, so I might as well do something fun. I brought breakfast for us," was the reply, and Weiss smiled warmly before stepping aside, allowing Yang to stroll into her new living quarters.

"Nice place. I thought you'd be living in a hole in the ground," the blonde joked.

"You know how the saying goes: money makes the world go round," Weiss replied.

"So you bought this place. Or did you have to bribe someone?"

"I bought it, of course. This is one of the nicer criminal residences offered by the Trenches." Weiss walked to the kitchen and Yang followed her. She cleared a space on the counter and put the eggs, bowl, and milk back where they came from. Yang pulled a container out of the bag and presented it to the former heiress, who frowned. In it were two cookie sandwiches, Ruby's original dish. She made thin, soft cookies stuffed with chocolate chips and put vanilla icing in the middle.

"I am not eating this," was Weiss' immediate refusal. Yang sighed.

"Look, Ruby spent at least an hour making this just for you! She even put in fruit chunks or whatever gross crap you like in your cookie sandwich!"

"Excuse me? I put that in there for nutrients. I am not going eat that heart attack in physical form unless I can at least get something out of it. Besides, it makes the sandwich taste quite good."

"You just admitted you liked it, Weiss. You have to try some now! I dare you," Yang smiled mischievously.

"I'm not a child. Daring me won't get me to eat it," Weiss retorted, her hands on her hips in a position of defiance.

"Well then. I guess I'll have to tell Ruby that you refused the food she spent an hour making just for you. She was all ready to do something nice for you since she couldn't be here, and now you're just going to toss it aside like-" Weiss listened to Yang and, despite herself, began to feel guilty. Frowning even deeper, she yielded.

"Alright, alright! I'll eat the sandwich. But I still think it's disgustingly unhealthy." Yang beamed and pulled out what was in the other bag.

"Well then...I guess I can give you Ruby's other present!"

* * *

Weiss found herself looking at very intricate ammo cartridges with four separate slots. The cartridges themselves were small cylinders with four vials of different-colored Dust. They were red, dark blue, purple and yellow. They were separated by dark gray metal strips, with circles at the top and bottom covered in miniscule but beautiful snowflake designs. Just based on a single glance, Weiss could tell that they would fit into the guns of her ranged units. The former heiress smiled, picking up one of the cartridges and moving them around delicately with her fingers.

"Pretty sexy, huh? Apparently, the red cartridge makes the bullets super powerful. They can cut through the Boarbatusk armor, or so my little sis claims. The dark blue is for crowd control. It knocks enemies back a lot. It doesn't necessarily do the most damage, but it'll give your crew some space. The yellow is for accuracy. It moves faster than a normal shot and makes any bullet fly as close to perfectly straight as can be. It you aim it at something, there's almost no way it'll miss. The purple...I think that's rapid fire. It's kind of like Ren's gun, whatever it's called. Now you probably shouldn't test it out, as there's only one cartridge for each person, so that might be a downside...but it's the best Ruby could do on such short notice," Yang said. By the time she had stopped talking, Weiss was grinning.

"That's more than enough. Trust me, these cartridges are going to be put to very good use," she said.

"I like that look," Yang replied, her smile matching her friend's.

* * *

Weiss and Yang sat at stools on the counter in the kitchen, as there was no dining room. Weiss was only halfway through her unique breakfast, while Yang had polished hers off thirty seconds ago. They hadn't talked, but the former heiress could tell her friend was getting antsy. She was tapping her hand on the counter and playing with Ember Celica, switching it between battle and standby form. If Weiss was going to catch up on what was going on in Yang's life, she would have to ask questions quickly.

"So, Yang. I haven't heard much from you, aside from the fact that you're still a Huntress. Is there anything exciting in your life I might like to know?" She asked, swallowing her bite of sandwich a little too quickly. She stifled a cough and then burst out in a hacking fit. Yang got up to help, but she held up her hand to signify that she was fine. After calming down, she spoke.

"So? Do you have an answer?" Yang grinned.

"Exciting, huh? You know everything there is to know."

"Are you referring to Ruby?"

"Yeah I am. It's so awesome! She's really stoked to get started, and she's really grateful for what you did. I am too. You...you really helped her out." Weiss smiled in response, but that wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"Well, as exciting as that is, that's Ruby's life. What's going on with you?" She asked.

"Nothing. I'm still kicking some Grimm ass, as you know. Pyrrha's leading the Second Division and I'm her right-hand woman. Besides that, though...nothing." Weiss frowned a little, earning a strange look from Yang.

"You must have a life beyond your job and your sister, Yang. I know that you met with Sun. How did that go?" At the mention of Sun's name, Yang's expression turned dark.

"Fine."

"That's not what your expression is saying."

"It was fine, okay? I just don't like being up so early."

"You seemed perfectly alright a few seconds ago," Weiss challenged. Yang sighed and got up.

"I think I should go. Be careful, Weiss." She walked away, but the former heiress grabbed her hand and held on tight. She tried pulling away gently, but she was met with no success.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." At this, Weiss got up as well and moved closer to her friend, looking up at her disapprovingly. Yang responded with an angry glare, but Weiss didn't back down.

"Are you really? What's going on with you? You won't see Blake, you won't talk about Sun, you're just leaving without even giving me one of your bone-crushing bear hugs...is Ruby really all you care about these days. Are you just giving up on every aspect of your life that she isn't involved in?" She asked angrily. Her glare seemed to challenge Yang to deny her.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Ruby needs someone to be there for her...and yeah, I'm not going out much. So what?"

"You have a life, Yang! I understand that you care for your sister more than anything, but you have other friends too. You have other people who want to see you!" Weiss shouted, unable to stay calm anymore. She wondered what Yang was really doing, avoiding the people who cared about her. From what Weiss heard from Ruby, she wasn't even at home all that much, especially at night. It was as if Yang was purposely staying away from her friends, as if she was trying to exclude herself from the world around her.

"I do have a life, and I'm living it!"

"Not even Ruby could attest to that. She told me about your nightly 'walks.' She doesn't see you often. You act as if she's the only person in the world who matters, but it seems that even she's left in the dark when it comes to you," Weiss replied scathingly. The two women glared at each other. They had always been highly intimidating people. Yang's size, stature, and wild demeanor could scare people off if she was really annoyed. While Weiss wasn't as physically intimidating as she was, she made up for it by being sheer sharp-tongued and quick-tempered. She also had very powerful eyes, and could stare down almost anyone. The two looked at each other with narrow, furious glares. They could practically feel each others Aura. It roiled off of them in powerful waves, rising in power as they rose in anger. Yang clenched her fists, as did Weiss, but after a pause the former heiress relinquished her temper. Her eyes lingered on the clock and she knew that she had to get dressed and leave very quickly. Yang noticed and snarled.

"What?" Weiss backed away and looked down.

"This isn't the time. I don't want to leave like this. Can we...just forget this ever happened?" Yang's fists unclenched and she looked intensely at her friend. When Weiss was the one who yielded in an argument, she knew that something wasn't right. Letting her rage leave her body with a long breath, she rushed towards Weiss and embraced her.

"I am so, so sorry. You're leaving and I'm acting like we're in a fight. I...I don't want you to leave like this either. We're friends, and friends don't let each other kill Grimm angry." Weiss, after a second, returned the embrace.

"I was the one who started the whole thing; this is my fault. I apologize as well."

"Stay safe, Weiss. Kick some ass and take some names out there."

"I will." Yang let go of her friend, and the two smiled before the blonde walked past Weiss to get to the door.

"This isn't over. Something isn't right with her," the white-haired woman muttered to herself as the door slammed behind her. For now, however, her concerns for her friend had to be pushed aside. She had to get ready.

* * *

**And another chapter finished! This one took a long time; I was hesitant in writing it. I feel very strange about introducing my own spin on the RWBYverse, but I did so to suit my own plot. Hopefully, people like it. If not, I'll definitely understand. Adding onto the worlds of others is a difficult thing to do, and you often end up changing things very drastically. That's one of the problems with fanfiction, I think; it's hard to draw the line between what you added to the story and what the canon world of the series you're writing for has in it. Changes that are too drastic can seem out of place, and I hope I didn't make things too strange. However, I must say, the whole 'Grimm have souls' thing is a theory I've had for a long time (and I'm sure that other people have had that idea before me), and the whole 'Adam is Grimm-related theory has been a theory ever since the Black trailer came out. I'm also sure the idea that the Grimm evolved from animals has probably been thought of long before I had the idea. It makes so much sense! I mean, the Grimm display a lot of animal-like behaviors, and their appearance is modeled after that of animals. You've got birds, wolves, scorpions, boars, snakes, bears, and, I assume, many more we don't know about. And then there are the behaviors; the Deathstalker has a light on its tail to lure in prey, the Beowolves and Ursa travel in groups, and the Ursa fighting Yang exchanged looks when she went crazy after they cut off a strand of her hair. That's more of a human behavior, but humans are pretty much animals anyway. So, yeah. It's safe to assume that they've got some connection to animals. I took that a step further and applied it to faunus (as I'm sure others have done before me).**

**And then there's the 'Grimm have souls' thing. I mean, if everything has light and darkness in it in the RWBYverse (I'm pretty sure Pyrrha said this or something like this) then why do people just assume that the Grimm are creatures of pure darkness? Why do people assume that they have no Aura? And why do fantasy series' love the terms 'light' and 'darkness' so much? Can't there be something more creative, like pancakes and syrup? Maybe even cookies and vegetables! The possibilities are endless!**

**Note how many dirty jokes there are in this chapter. Why are there so many? Sex is funny. Especially when it's being mentioned by characters in a family-friendly show. Just the word itself is funny. Sex. Also, these chapters constantly drag on longer than I think they will, so Weiss' journey will have to wait until next chapter.  
**

**And this is my final note, I promise, but...RWBY VOLUME 2 TRAILER! YES! JULY 24th CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH!**


	7. Chapter 7

It would take a few hours to get to the first nest, made up of beowolves. Weiss and her team would clear it and rest. She didn't trust them to try and take on two nests on the same day. She could most likely take out both nests by herself, but knew that there was strength in numbers and there was always a chance she'd be blitzed when she wasn't looking. Besides, she didn't want to waste the Dust. Being criminals, they were only allowed a limited amount of Dust. Weiss herself only had one spare group of vials of each type of Dust her weapon used, and the others on her team had two. Very few people were concerned with the Trenches and their resources, and too many people were worried about giving known criminals an excess of Dust. There was really nothing they could do with it. Weiss found it funny that she, who came from a life where she could get any material object she wanted, was now deprived of even the means to survive. A younger Weiss would have been outraged, but she was not who she used to be. Survival was the only thing she wanted at the moment.

* * *

Weiss stared out at the early morning sky, slowly brightening as if to reflect her growing unease. Around her, in the dark, dusty airship that most likely hadn't been properly maintained in years, there wasn't much to inspire confidence. Garth, Lilac and Mona, the three warriors who possessed any semblance of skill, looked scared. Garth kept fixing his eyes on Weiss, not daring to look above her knees. She knew that he seemed to be fixated on her. That, combined with the knowledge she possessed of his crimes, made her wary of him. He had obsessed over a woman once before, and that ended in her murder. Mona was the most scared of the three; she was small, and her personality complemented her size. She was meek and easily rattled, and not out of survival instinct. It was hard to believe she was once a member of the White Fang. Lilac looked the least scared, but she was clearly afraid for her life. Usually calm and cool, she looked slightly queasy. That was, in part, due to her fear of heights, but Weiss knew that she was also terrified of death. Not even being a serial killer could make one comfortable with death. From the eager, foolish looks of the melee units to the pathetic, hopeless expressions on the faces of the ranged units, she only saw fear and pessimism. Not even the presence of one of the heroes of Remnant could give them confidence. It was then, however, that Weiss remembered what Ruby said. She had to fake confidence. She had to let her allies believe that they could survive, that they would survive. Regardless of her sincerity, she knew that even a small sign of confidence in her team could give them the courage they needed. Thinking back to the numerous times Ruby rallied her team against seemingly insurmountable odds, Weiss opened her mouth. She would do justice to her friend's wisdom.

* * *

"I know what you're all thinking. You expect to die, right? You expect your lives to end here. But I want to tell you that you're all wrong. Or, at least, you should want to be. Skill can only get one so far. Experience can only get one so far. There is a weapon that we all possess, should we choose to use it, that can be the difference between death and survival. That weapon, as you probably know, is our mind. If I tell my mind that I believe we can do this, that we can make it through this mission, then my body will react. I will be stronger. I will have a motive. Without a motive, what reason do we have to fight? If you tell yourselves that death awaits you, why even bother stepping onto the battlefield? Why bother carrying a weapon? If you tell yourself that you will die, you will. Your body will surrender," Weiss began. She stood, attempting to command the authority of everyone in the room.

"Belief doesn't win battles," Lilac replied.

"No, but you do. We all do. Belief is a tool in your arsenal, and like any good weapon, it needs maintenance. And if you think that my advice is naive, that I'm foolish to believe that determination is the difference between the dead and the survivors, then keep this in mind: I'm not the only one fighting. I have a team that I have no choice but to trust. You are all my only hope, my only option. Without you, I'm as good as dead. I want to believe in you all, desperately. I just hope you believe in me as well, and even more importantly, in each other. A hero of Remnant isn't exactly hard to have confidence in," Weiss said smugly. She wanted to come off as confident as possible, even arrogant. She wanted to see more than the empty stares of those who'd given up, and she was willing to say anything to get a response that showed even a little fighting spirit.

"You sound like a damn anime. This is the real world, Schnee! Odds actually mean something, and ours are shit!" Roan roared at her, getting up to stand closer to the small woman, attempting to intimidate her. She simply glared at him. Garth tensed, preparing to get up, but Roan slowly stepped back.

"I'm not saying this because I think belief is enough to get us through this. I'm saying this because you truly are my only option, my only chance of survival. I have no choice but to believe in you. The alternative doesn't seem very fun," she spat. Everyone around her was looking at the former heiress now, taking in what she said and how she sounded. She seemed desperate. To them, no falsehood could be detected. She truly had no other options. Weiss sat down and waited to land. She now knew how Ruby felt, trying to rally her team when they were all ready to give up. On occasion, she supposed, cold hard reason could be substituted for optimism.

* * *

Ursula grimaced as Weiss stepped out of the jet and next to the two transport vehicles that awaited them. The ground was covered with red leaves, reminding the wolf faunus of pools of blood. Behind Weiss and the cars, red leaves blew in the rough, wild wind. The leaves that were farther away almost looked like dots of blood. Everywhere she looked, she was reminded of the liquid that pulsed through her veins and those of everyone around her. She had been arrested for bank robbery, and she never had to kill or hurt anyone. She wasn't the hardened criminal that a lot of others in the Trenches were, or at least claimed to be. She didn't know if she could make it. Her stomach churned. Walking down the incline that was the opened hatch of the ship to get to her car didn't help issues. She hated the red around her, it was a reminder of her mortality. She could bleed and die, and she would die if she didn't stay on her toes. She hopped into the nearest car. It was a combination of red and black in an attempt to blend in with the forest, and it had wheels that were half the size of an adult. Weiss used her glyphs to lead her team, going slowly with the cars. Forever Fall was a tightly packed forest, and if the group went too fast they could hit a tree. Ursula clutched her gun, her mind playing out more scenarios in which the forest could be littered with red that wasn't from leaves.

* * *

"Alright, we're at least a minute away from the Beowolf camp. Ranged units, get out of the car and scan the area for stray Beowolves. We don't want them alerting the pack to our presence. If you can kill them without attracting any attention, do it. You have your earpieces to call me if something goes wrong. And make sure to spread out in a circle. Don't go straight forward," Weiss said with authority, making sure that her team knew that she was in control of the situation. She had needed to appeal to their compassion before by seeming desperate, now she needed to appeal to their courage by seeming fearless. She watched as the four dispersed, looking around.

"Get out and stretch. I can't have you all stiff before we engage the Beowolves," she said, her earpiece picking up her voice and transmitting it to her team. Everyone quickly got out of their vehicles and began to stretch out, waiting for news of the ranged units. Weiss spun Myrtenaster absentmindedly, listening for any sounds that might indicate that something went wrong. Behind her, she heard someone laugh and almost smiled. Laughter was a good sign. It wasn't the end of the world yet; people were still cracking jokes. She found that it reminded her of Yang, always there to make light of a dark situation. Weiss could always be assured that things would be alright knowing that Yang was still spouting some inane one-liner or tasteless joke. She realized how much she missed the blonde's presence in her life, reinforcing her decision to question her about her reclusive ways. As Weiss' thoughts drifted even farther from the present, she heard a shot fire and a voice cry out to bring her back to reality.

"Liam is down! We need backup!" Ursula cried.

* * *

Liam, the snake faunus, was lying a bleeding heap next to Ursula, his blood blending with the leaves. The two remaining ranged units were doing their best to fend off the approaching hoard of Beowolves, but they weren't doing enough. They used the dark blue Dust, knocking back the growing tide of enemies, but they weren't doing much damage. Ursula's gun was laid upon the ground, and her hand was pressed over a massive gash in Liam's chest. Weiss landed gracefully next to them.

"He needs medical attention! Take him back to the car!" She cried. Weiss grimaced but shook her head.

"Carry him there yourself. I need to fend of the Beowolves," she replied.

"But-"

"Either you carry him back or two more of your friends will die!" Ursula bit her lip and hefted Liam up. Weiss touched his stomach with Myrtenaster and created a thin layer of ice over his wound. She hated to waste Dust, but she had no choice. She would not let a teammate die.

"Save him," she said. Ursula nodded, lifting Liam on her shoulder and running off.

"Stop using the dark blue rounds! Fire normally!" Weiss shouted to the remaining two units, a human man and woman. They nodded as Weiss used a glyph to send herself hurtling towards the Beowolves. Bullets flew past her and into the skulls of the approaching Grimm, and when she got closer enough, she made her move. A large glyph appeared beneath the Grimm that pushed them back. Some flew into trees and died on impact, others skidded across the forest but were unhurt. Weiss quickly dashed in the middle of the sea of black and white, bringing her rapier across her chest as she turned with it, the result being a wide slash that cut a Beowolf in two. She came to a stop near three Beowolves, who she dispatched with ease. The first one was hit with a thrust. Weiss used a glyph to dash behind the Beowolf, killing it and stopping behind the other two. The closer one was decapitated with a lazy flick of Weiss' wrist. Her blade ripped through its neck and she immediately pulled it back the way it slashed, bringing it down in an arc and then up as another Beowolf approached. She cut through its head in a vertical line and spun out of the way, dodging its falling body and bringing her sword down in another arc to fell another Beowolf. Each strike she ended was immediately turned into a new one, as if she was making a painting with a single stroke. The Beowolves stormed her, but she wove her way through them, cutting in wide yet controlled slashes. She parried the occasional claw swipe with a quick strike, keeping her sword close to her body as she did so so as to hastily follow up with an offensive slash. Around her, there was the occasional Beowolf to fall with a bullet in its skull; the ranged units missed more than Weiss wanted them to.

* * *

Looking around, Weiss spied the melee and special units in the distance. She turned back around and twirled her blade, cutting through a Beowolf. She leaned forward into her next strike, using her twirl for momentum. She slashed in diagonal arcs, going up and then down, still using her forward momentum to lead into her next attack. She sometimes spun backwards to take out any Beowolves that were sneaking up on her, and was doing well. No Beowolf had even come close to touching her. However, she was getting swarmed, and she wasn't omniscient. Her eyes could only focus on so much, and she'd be killed if she missed a single Beowolf in the heat of the scuffle. She needed to get to safer ground, and she did. Using her glyphs, she fired herself under the leg of one Beowolf, power sliding as she cut through its torso with her blade, and then turned her body so that her next glyph shot her slightly upwards. She flipped around so that her feet were in front of her, and she kicked a Beowolf in the head. Rebounding and flipping off of it gracefully, she landed in a more open area as the Beowolf was shot back into its allies. Around her, she began to hear screams as the melee units attacked. Weiss shot herself into the air with a glyph to see how she could help, and flew back down into the battle when she saw a Grimm come up behind a woman and try to decapitate her. She killed it and flipped over another Grimm that the woman buried an axe in. Weiss then made a hand gesture while still in the air, and Roan, who was nearby, was pulled away from a fatal swipe by an attraction glyph. He used his backward momentum to roll under another Beowolf before ramming his sword in its head. He pulled it out and cut through the skull of yet another, and Weiss landed on the ground in a group of three Beowolves. She took them out easily and spotted Garth nearby, doing a fine job.

* * *

Beowolves were the weakest of the Grimm, and as such, individually, they presented a moderate threat at best to the three special units. Garth was quick to dispatch his group of enemies, clearly not wanting to waste the Dust in his sword on them. He cut quickly and jerkily, using two hands to grip his blade. His movements lacked grace, but they got the job done. However, he was clearly not paying enough attention to his enemy, too focused on who would attack him next. There were a few Grimm he ignored that were preparing to attack, and Weiss quickly used her glyphs to shoot their heads from their bodies and into more oncoming Beowolves. Next to him, Mona fought with a different attitude. She threw her chakram at groups of enemies and it cut through them, and she used her Semblance quickly and rapidly to teleport to her weapon. She was going all-out. She would often resort to punches if her chakram got buried in the skull of an enemy, and she kept leaning too far into them. Weiss sometimes had to push Beowolves away from her to give her more space. Lilac was a little farther away. Her limbs moved quickly and forcefully as the occasional burst of wind propelled her blows to new levels, and she would rip through multiple Beowolves with one attack. However, she only used her Dust sparingly. Without it, however, she tended to slow down, and Weiss would occasionally speed through and kill a Beowolf that she wasn't ready for. The melee units needed her help in a similar matter, but the ranged units were allowed quite the respite, as they were largely ignored by the Beowolf pack. Things were going well, all things considered.

* * *

Nora's eyes shot open and she immediately took in her surroundings. Her room, which was white with shades of pink, was littered with spare ammo, clothes, and the occasional plate or cup. She sat up in her bed, which was largely plain save for the castle-like headboard and turret-like footboards. Her covers and quilt, both shockingly pink, contrasted the mostly light room. Across from her bed was the door, and across from her door was a desk that looked like it was used frequently, but wasn't. It was covered with papers from Nora's days at Beacon which she hadn't bothered to clean or hadn't wanted to. Next to that was the dresser. A nightstand was next to her bed, complete with a lamp, a castle-shaped alarm, and a glass of water. The lampshade was, amusingly, covered with drawings of sloths. Nora hopped out of bed, smiling widely, and went to her dresser, putting on some clothes that she didn't bother to look at. After cracking her knuckles, toes, and neck, she was prepared to start the day. She walked out of her room with a skip in her step, and proceeded down a long hallway for a few seconds before reaching a green door. Opening it forcefully, and stepping into a green, spotless room, she announced her presence with glee.

"Wakey wakey, sunshine! It's a beautiful morning and I need my pancakes!" A groan came from the bundle of sheets on the bed, and they moved as the figure beneath them shifted.

"Time to face the day, Ren!" Nora jumped on the lump on the bed and Lie Ren grunted in pain. He revealed his head, his hair a wild mess, and frowned.

"And this is why I'm getting an alarm clock," he said grumpily.

"Oh, you know you love it when I get you up in the morning, silly. My melodious voice is better than any stupid beeping clock," Nora replied. Ren didn't look amused. Nora knew he wasn't a morning person, and liked to use it to tease him. Besides, she loved mornings, and she had been waking Ren up ever since they knew each other as kids. It was a tradition that never stopped.

"I can't really get up if you're lying on top of me," Ren told her, struggling to free himself. He was making no progress. Nora smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before getting up and walking to his dresser. He slowly pushed himself up, fluffing out his pillow and carefully getting out of bed. He folded his covers over gently, making sure that the corners weren't overlapping the bed frame. Nora hurled some clothes at him, and he snatched them out of midair.

"If you get out the ingredients, I can make the pancakes as soon as I'm changed," he said. Nora hurried out of the room with a laugh.

"Ah, pancakes. I've never met one I didn't like! Or eat," she said absentmindedly.

* * *

Nora sat at the small, circular table in the small, circular kitchen. Ren was just finished making the pancakes and he distributed them in the normal amount, seven for Nora and two for him. Hers had chocolate chips, were covered in syrup, and were extra fluffy.

"Hehehe," she laughed sinisterly as she began to shove an entire pancake in her mouth. Ren sighed, his mouth curved into a kind smile. He knew Nora inside out, and she knew him the same way. They'd been friends ever since they were young, and until recently, they had always stayed that way. Now, they were dating. Nora was the one who put the chain of events leading up to their getting together as a couple into motion, and Ren was glad she did. He had never given any thought to dating Nora. He always saw their relationship as something of a comedy routine, not that he didn't take it seriously. He was often playing the straight man to Nora's one woman show, and although the two had a very special bond, having been the best of friends since childhood, he never thought that they could have a mature, adult relationship. But when Nora asked him out, he decided to give it a try. One thing led to another, and they moved in together. He was pleased with how she'd grown. Although she was still the infinitely energetic glutton with a powerful imagination that he had always known, she had transitioned into the adult world quite well. She always knew what she wanted to do and did it, becoming a Huntress even before Ren became a Hunter. She embraced life's challenges in a different way from Ren; she put a fun spin on everything she did. Ren, who was focused and got to where he was today through determination and hard work, had to admire Nora for taking a different approach. By never taking anything too seriously, she was never stressed out. That allowed her to go through life with an open mind. It was what made him love her so much; she was so different from anyone he'd ever met in the way she approached life. He reflected on this as she practically inhaled her pancakes, and then he asked a question. He hadn't had the chance to do so the day before.

"So, Nora. Did Sun say anything about his visit with Yang?" Nora slurped up her last pancake and swallowed it quickly, impressing Ren with her seeming immunity to choking.

"It didn't go too well," Nora replied sadly. Ren bit his lip.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Yang got mad at him and left, apparently. He brought up her drinking," Nora informed Ren, sighing.

"I never saw Yang as the type to retreat to the bottle...it all started when Ruby lost the use of her legs, didn't it?"

"Yeah...Sun wants me to stand at the bar she goes to at night, and he was wondering if he could talk to you about tonight's heist," Nora said seriously. Ren nodded.

"Of course."

"...Should we tell Ruby?" At this, the tension in the room rose dramatically. Nora wasn't sure what made her ask such a question, but she felt they had to do something. Yang was their friend, and she couldn't go on like this.

"That will only make things worse, as Sun pointed out. Yang will feel betrayed. We can't go behind her back, as much as we want to. Our hands are tied," was the reply. Ren, as always, was the voice of reason. Nora knew he was right, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

"I demand more pancakes! And make the chocolate chips look like smiley faces this time," she said.

"We have to go, Nora."

"But I need my comfort pancakes!" And just like that, the tension in the room dissipated along with Nora's patience. She had a way of livening things up.

* * *

The battle was over. Liam was dead, one of the ranged units had their gun destroyed, five of the melee units were injured, three of those injuries being life-threatening, and Lilac had broken one of her gauntlets. The day was won, but there was no joy in victory. Weiss was tending to the injured along with a man who had once been a doctor until he started mercy killing his patients. Lilac worked on her gauntlet, Ursula was ordered to train to prepare herself for the next battle, and everyone else was refilling their ammo. This wasn't like at Beacon, when Weiss had friends to fall back on. No one seemed interested in saying anything about the battle, despite her attempts to get people talking. She needed people to cooperate, because tomorrow they would face the boarbatusks and they needed to be prepared.

"How do you think they'll be?" She asked, standing up. There was nothing she could do for her wounded teammates; there was only so much that could be done with Aura healing, and she was no doctor. She had planning to do.

"They'll most certainly live; it's a good thing you got them here so quickly after they were injured. However, they won't be participating in tomorrow's battle. At least, most of them won't. Roan and Francine have less series injuries than the others. They should be fine as long as they stay out of the thick of the fight. Shall I stay behind with the injured?" The doctor was very polite, and Weiss was grateful for it. He was among those who had grown to admire their leader.

"Yes, I think that's for the best." She walked away, thanking the former doctor, and made a quick announcement to the group.

"Samay, I think it's best that you only reload with one vial for each chamber. I have plans for the others, and we need to save ammo for the Nevermore nest. Lilac, if you can't repair your gauntlet, forget about it. You all have fifteen minutes to finish your preparations for tomorrow. We need to rest soon."

* * *

Outside, Ursula and Garth sat against a tree. They were talking about the battle, trying to come to terms with what happened. They both stopped talking and perked up when Weiss came out, walking near them.

"We have fifteen minutes before we need to sleep. Ursula, I suggest you reload your weapon," she said.

"Am I going out tomorrow?" The wolf faunus asked.

"Do you think you can?" Weiss asked.

"...Yes. I'm scared, but our team's shrinking enough as it is. We need everyone fighting," she replied. Weiss smiled.

"Yes, we do." Next to Ursula, Garth smiled as well.

"I...I have no idea how you can be so confident," he said.

"I believe in myself. You should do the same."

"I already believe in you, more than you know. Weiss, you...you are our salvation," was the reply, full of admiration. Flattered as she was, Weiss didn't mean what he thought she did. But although it wasn't too important to her, she did notice that he was the only one who called her by her first name.

"I meant in yourself. Cling to your life like a drowning cat, grasp for anything you can to hold onto. No matter how silly it may seem, no matter how naive it might be, you need to believe that you have a reason to live," she told him. Ursula sighed and got up. She found herself more able to stomach the red of the forest than she used to. She was shocked when Liam died, unstable and uneasy. But it was only temporary. The Trenches may be home to incompetent soldiers and foolish soldiers, but no one who went to the Trenches was weak-willed. She wasn't a hardened criminal, but she was a survivor. Fear didn't rule her. As uneasy as she felt, she needed to fight. Of course, it also helped that she had vomited for a good minute half an hour before Weiss came out.

"Feeling better?" Garth asked her. She nodded, thanked him, and walked away. As she left Weiss' line of sight, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness at the idea that she might kill the woman. She was not her father's daughter. Ursula was dimly aware of Garth going into a long-winded speech behind her, and recalled his endless praise for Weiss back when they were alone in the forest. His infatuation with her was getting a little out of hand.

* * *

Roman Torchwick made a call. He picked up his phone, dialed a number, and calmly gave a few instructions before hanging up. He had a problem. He couldn't sleep well anymore. He couldn't recall the last night that he'd had peace in his dreams. It was only a month since the nightmares began, but it felt like years. His mind was plagued by a shadow, and he needed to be rid of it. He needed to escape his fear. He needed to escape his fear of sleeping, of even closing his eyes. He needed to escape his fear of leaving his base, of going outside. Most of all, he needed to escape his fear of her. She was like a wisp to him, an entity he couldn't touch and never would. She seemed beyond him. She could torment him and he could do nothing about it, so he needed to remind himself that she was still a living, breathing faunus. She was not beyond him. He could hurt her.

* * *

**Well, chapter 7 is done! I'm a little iffy about this one, so I'd really like to know what people think. I find it hard to write for the side characters of the story. I don't want their issues overlapping those of the main cast but I want to give them personality as well. And I apologize to anyone who may have been really looking forward to the next chapter for taking so long. I was really stuck on how to continue the story, but I think I'm over that now. I've got some stuff planned now that I've given myself time to look back and reflect. **

**How about RWBY volume 2, huh? Only two episodes in and it's already improved on volume 1 in so many ways! Everything's so damn awesome! I'm especially intrigued by this new side of Blake that we're seeing. She seems a lot more vulnerable now, and I can't wait to see how she deals with the oncoming storm. It helps that Arryn Zech is amazing at her job and knows her character so well. I can really feel the emotion behind her words! Also, I practically squealed when Weiss called Blake out on her attitude problem. Weiss was the only person to notice and care that something was wrong with her, and it really shows how much she cares about her friends (and it makes me ship Monochrome so much harder!).  
**

**Also, Emerald is really cool. I want to write her so bad!**


	8. Chapter 8

Yang drove home from Weiss' house, struggling to focus on the road. Her mind kept wandering to her friend, out in Forever Fall with fifteen criminals. It was only a few years ago that Weiss was still the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, with more money than could be imagined in Yang's wildest dreams. It was true that life in the Schnee family had been difficult. Weiss had a difficult childhood with an angry father and a distant mother. She lived in a state of fear. She was afraid of the White Fang, of her father, and of being a disgrace to the Schnee name. She was much better off distancing herself from her family and her company, but things only went downhill from there. Weiss went from a wealthy former heiress hailed as a hero to a criminal with a choker around her neck, caging her like a dog surrounded by an electric fence. She'd lost her wealth, her once chance at saving her closest friend, and even her reputation. Everything in her life was falling apart, and yet she remained strong. Even with her whole world coming down around her, she kept moving forward, as if challenging life to try and hurt her more than it already had. Blake had turned to violence and Yang herself had turned to alcohol, but Weiss kept walking without a crutch. And yet, to Yang, she was more vulnerable than ever.

* * *

It was early in the morning, so there were very few cars sharing the road with Yang. As such, it didn't take long for her to get back home to Ruby. She parked her car, opened the door the the apartment, and found herself greeted by the dim voice of her sister a few rooms away. Closing the door, the blonde yawned and walked in the direction of her sister's voice.

"Hey, sis, I'm home. What's going on?" She asked, and Ruby said a few words that Yang couldn't make out before shouting to her.

"Yang Yang Yang Yang Yang! Something super amazing happened! Come over here!" The blonde hurried to her sister, who was holding her cellphone and looking like she just won the lottery. She was rocking back and forth in her wheelchair, using her free arm for support.

"Holy shit. Holy shit holy shit holy shit! Is what's happening right now what I think it is?!" Yang asked in amazement, standing on the balls of her feet.

"Yes it is! I, Ruby Rose, have got a job! I'll do maintenance on people's weapons and it'll be totally freaking awesome! I start the day Weiss gets back, so I have some serious preparing to do. It's been a while since I've got to work on a weapon aside from Crescent Rose," Ruby said excitedly. Yang screamed in joy and gave her sister a massive bear hug. After ten seconds of pain, she relinquished Ruby from her grip, still jumpy from hearing such good news. She had been happy to hear that Ruby was being considered for the position, but that wasn't a confirmation. Now, knowing that her sister's employment was guaranteed, she felt as if a massive weight was lifted from her chest. This would be the first good news she'd heard in a month. It felt foreign, being happy about something. Yang had been happy before, of course. But every time she was, there would always be something lurking in the shadows ready to take her joy away. Now, in this moment, she didn't feel that way at all. There was nothing to spoil her glee, nothing to bring her down. She was truly happy for Ruby, and that made her happy for herself.

"I got the call a few minutes after you left, actually. I've just been talking with Jaune for a little while, hearing all about what he's been doing. Do you want to talk to him?" Ruby asked her suddenly.

"Jaune?" Yang asked, more to herself than to Ruby. Her voice cracked when she said his name. She was trying very hard to keep her smile. She didn't want the sudden rush of anger that flowed through her mind to put a damper on her sister's joy, and hearing the name of the man who she blamed for Ruby's current state made her very angry indeed. She began to shake, and she desperately hoped that Ruby would assume she was shaking with excitement.

"Yep! I think he'd really like to talk to you."

"You know, I'm kind of tired. I woke up way earlier than usual, so I think I'll catch up on my beauty rest. But we are totally celebrating tonight! I've got a few party tricks up my sleeve, so you'd better be on your toes, sis," Yang replied quickly, still barely managing a smile. Ruby blinked in surprise before nodding.

"You'd better impress me, Yang," she said. As the blonde winked and walked away, Ruby kept talking to Jaune. Behind her, Yang's eyes turned red.

* * *

Jaune hung up, sighing. He was happy for Ruby; she had gotten a job, and what's more, it was a job doing something she loved. But whenever he talked to her, he couldn't help but feel sad. Any contact with her in general reminded him of painful memories that he would much rather forget. However, the pain was lessened by the knowledge that Ruby didn't hold it against him. She talked to him just as she would anyone else, and he was extremely grateful for that. Even though he blamed the tragedy on himself, it was nice to know that she didn't. It was just a shame that the same couldn't be said for Yang. He knew that, if it were up to her, he would never see or speak to Ruby again. While Yang was usually a kind, encouraging person and could see past most things, all bets were off when it came to her friends' safety, especially her sister's. When it came to her, Yang held grudges. Jaune understood her anger, and out of respect and fear, mostly avoided her. But Pyrrha had encouraged him to face the pain instead of running from it, and he reluctantly took her advice. There were only two simple steps he had to take: he had to go see Ruby and Yang and apologize.

* * *

"You seem tired, Jaune. Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune sat at a long wooden table in a light brown room, intense lights brightening it up. His head hung over a plate with slightly burnt eggs, long strips of bacon, and a piece of buttered toast. He had made breakfast, unable to go back to sleep after calling Ruby. He had gotten word from Bard that she had the job early in the morning, too excited to even be annoyed or wonder why he was called so early or why Bard was even awake. Jaune had only been able to get an hour of sleep afterwards, too eager to tell Ruby the good news. After trying to fall back asleep and ultimately failing, he called his friend out of excitement, only to find that she was up as well.

"...I guess not. I mean, it's nothing really bad. I'm just nervous," he replied. looking up. Pyrrha, unlike himself, looked wide awake and ready to face the day. She had already finished her food, claiming to enjoy it immensely. Jaune suspected she hadn't, but was grateful that she was humoring him. He wasn't a good cook and his making breakfast was a rarity, but he had felt bad about keeping her up talking after he finished making his call.

"I know. Anyone would be. But you've already done so much for Ruby, and I'm sure she'd love to see you in person. I don't believe she was ever angry at you, but telling her how you feel would life a huge weight off of your chest," Pyrrha assured him, reaching her hand to lie on top of his. He looked up slowly and smiled.

"Thanks, but she's not who I'm worried about." Pyrrha chuckled.

"Yang will come around, especially if Ruby's there to encourage her." Jaune moaned, but knew that her advice had merit.

"I really don't want to do this. At least, not today."

"Then you don't have to. You do, however, have to finish your food. We're leaving in five minutes, fearless leader," the redhead said. The blonde's eyes widened, and he began to shovel food into his mouth. Smiling, Pyrrha went to get the car ready.

* * *

Blake sat in the library, a large book lying on the table open to about the halfway mark. Just like the rest of the prison, the room was gray and depressing, but the startlingly brown wooden shelves full of books with all kinds of differently colored binders added some life to it. To Blake, however, appearances didn't matter. It was what was on the inside of the books that counted, and she wasn't disappointed. Despite being a prison library, there were some good selections. But it wasn't easy to read. Nearby, the startled gasps and squeaks of Primrose and the sickly sweet laugh of Cinder wafted into the ears of the reading faunus, and she grimaced as she was broken from her concentration every few paragraphs.

"Excuse me, Cinder, but can you take your shameless flirtation somewhere else? This is a place for reading, not seducing. Besides, isn't your interaction breaking some prisoner-employee rules of conduct?" Blake said testily. Cinder turned around and Primrose turned bright red, bowing her head.

"I'm really sorry, I know that libraries are for reading and I should leave and-"

"Don't let her boss you around like that. Look at me, for example; I just don't care," Cinder said assertively. Her cellmate frowned.

"I-I should really leave..." The dog faunus repeated nervously.

"Hm? But I was really enjoying our conversation," Cinder pouted, turning around. She fixed Primrose with a wide-eyed stare, but she was looking down and didn't see. Bowing again, she ran off and Blake grinned. Her cellmate walked over to her, sitting down. The black-haired faunus stopped grinning. Her plan had backfired.

"If you're getting jealous, you could just say so. There's no need for this passive-aggressive game you play," Cinder said, leaning forward.

"I thought you liked when people played hard-to-get," was the reply. Blake pointed towards where Primrose had run off, eliciting a chuckle from her friend.

"You've got me there. I do enjoy a chase." A silence fell over the table as Cinder tried to make out what she was reading.

"What is it about her, anyway? What's gotten you so interested?" She asked suddenly. Cinder smiled, looking up at her.

"You are jealous, aren't you?"

"Just curious," Blake replied. She was also suspicious. Cinder had, on multiple occasions, pursued Primrose. She seemed to know that the dog faunus liked her, and there was a more than decent chance that her feelings didn't stop at that. But Cinder was no flirt. She was certainly seductive, but never went beyond joking around. With Primrose, it was different, and Blake felt that a lot more than love was on her friend's mind.

"Well, if you must know...I think she's struggling. She lives in a world that isn't kind to people like her. People who are kind, who are trusting. She needs some help from someone who knows better," Cinder answered, losing her joking tone. Blake didn't believe for a second that her affection for Primrose was the only reason for her flirtation, but her words rang of truth. For all of her intimidation and unflappable calm, she cared for those who she felt were oppressed.

"In a lot of ways, she reminds me of your friend," Cinder told Blake, getting up. The black-haired faunus' eyes widened and she grimaced. She knew that her cellmate was referring to Ruby.

"Did I got too far?" Cinder asked, looking down at her sitting friend.

"...I don't know. I really don't know," Blake hurried out of her seat and nodded as if to say goodbye before walking off. She wasn't lying. She had no idea whether she was angry or surprised. How Cinder could possibly make a confident assumption about Ruby was anyone's guess, and why she would mention her was even more of a mystery. Just like Cinder herself. Blake made a mental note to keep an eye on her friend. As much as she seemed to trust Blake, she didn't change at all since her defeat at Ruby's hands.

* * *

Yang grinned, setting up plates and utensils at the table. Ruby was working on some weapon-related project in her room, so the blonde was free to set up her surprise dinner. After a long day of fighting Grimm, she had come back and made preparations. She got a special cookie cake and the board game Remnant: The Game, a strategy game where you could choose to play as one of Remnant's four continents and manage your army. The game was all about risk versus reward; careful planning had to be used to defeat your opponent, or with more than two players, opponents. Luck also helped, but that was the case with anything. It was a game that team RWBY had played often during their time at Beacon, and Yang thought that it would remind her sister of better times. While money, for the two, had to be spent sparingly, the older sister would spare no expense in celebrating Ruby's new job. She wrapped it hastily with a bow and wrapping paper, put it under the table, and set out two large pieces of cookie cake on plates. Glasses of milk were poured and Yang prepared to get her sister. She was determined to show Ruby that she still cared, and more importantly, she was determined to show herself the same thing. No matter how many times she went out late at night to drink, her heart would always be at home with her sister.

* * *

Ruby leaned against her sister, her head nestled between Yang's neck and right shoulder. The TV blared in front of them, the volume low. They were watching a movie called Beam Squad, a comedy that was released after The Fall. Ruby, despite laughing to the point of snorting on quite a few occasions, was now half asleep. She'd had a long day. Yang found the movie hilarious as well, but her attention was focused more on her sister. She was truly happy for her. She and Ruby had more fun than she had even imagined, and it was just them. No one was around to remind her of the outside world, of the troubles that plagued her day in and day out. Tonight had been Ruby's night, and she wanted it no other way. They had eaten the entire cookie cake, competing to see who could stuff larger pieces in their mouth at once, and Yang had almost choked. With an Aura-infused punch, Ruby had unclogged her throat, but it led to her sister vowing to defeat her in Remnant: The Game. The two had fought in three vicious matches, with Yang barely pulling off two victories to win the set. It came down her very last soldier, but in a genius move that involved the Vacuo soldiers' terrain resistance and the destruction of her biggest trade route, she emerged triumphant. Afterwards, the two had spent half an hour making fun of movies on TV, and decided upon the one they were watching now. This, Yang realized, was true happiness. Not the empty feeling she got from drinking, but the full feeling she got from being around her sister. Ruby meant more to her than anything. If there was anything she could savor from her life, anything she could cement in her mind as a permanent memory, it would be the times she spent with her.

"Mm...sis?" The brunette piped up. Yang's lilac eyes titled to the right and she smiled.

"Yes, oh sister of mine?"

"Can we see everyone else?" At this, Yang tensed, but her smile didn't fade.

"Yang? Are you okay?" Ruby asked, noticing the change in her sister's demeanor.

"Ah, I'm fine. Just stiff. I mean, if you really want to, we could get everyone together. I just don't know when I'll be around."

"But we should all be together, just like old times. We hardly talk anymore; we're all so busy."

"That's life. People grow up, sis. They move on."

"That doesn't mean we should ignore our friends. They were more than just some school friends; they were fellow Hunters and Huntresses. Our lives were in each others' hands." Yang chuckled at this, unable to deny that Ruby spoke sense. They were more than just friends, but not all for the right reasons. Some, Yang didn't even fully know anymore. She briefly thought of Blake, but quickly shook those thoughts from her head.

"How about we save this for tomorrow? You seem really tired," she said. Ruby smiled.

"Alright." Yang helped her drowsy sister into her wheelchair and watched as she pushed herself to bed. Ruby always insisted on doing a lot of daily tasks by herself. She wanted to be as self-reliant as possible, and Yang could respect that. After a few minutes, she crept towards her sister's room and found her fast asleep. Leaving a note in case Ruby woke up saying that she had gone for a walk, Yang left for the bar.

* * *

The lights of Vale made Yang grimace. She just wanted to get to the bar and drink, ignoring all of the brightness. She had no idea why she was out, though; she had no reason to drink. She was happy. Spending a wonderful night with Ruby made her happier than she'd been in a while. She drank to relieve herself of pain. Now, she had none. What problems she did have were put off until tomorrow, and the blonde had intended on just going to sleep. But she couldn't. Her body didn't want her to. Like an addict with a fix, she had to drink. The comparison made Yang grimace even more. A dull though came from the back of her mind, but she ignored it. It was too painful. However, at the same time, it was a reason. It was a justification that she could use for herself. Her grimace lightened up, and then returned full force when she saw a familiar face outside of her usual bar.

"Hey, Yang!"

"Nora." Nora seemed to shimmer in the light, her constant movement giving her the appearance of a glow around her in the bright city. She looked different, though. Somehow, she wasn't the same. She was less spontaneous and more methodical, as if she was trying to put on an act. Immediately deducing that she had come to prevent Yang from her booze binging, the blonde took a slightly hostile stance.

"What's going on? I didn't know you drank," she asked.

"I don't! I just heard that I could meet you here from Sun, and I wanted to say congrats. For Ruby. I totally knew that she'd get the job but Jaune was all mopey, you know how he gets about her these days, and I just hit him on the back and he stopped arguing. I know that it seems weird to come out of the blue like this, especially when I haven't really been seeing you and Ruby, but I think that we should get together. You know, like old times. Ren could make pancakes; I know how much you love pancakes! Oh wait, that's me. He'll still make them, though." Yang almost laughed at Nora's boundless energy. She always had a soft spot for the orange-haired woman, but now, she had more important things to do than talk.

"Well, I'm just getting a drink. Nothing crazy. Think of it as a celebration," she replied, not responding to Nora's comments.

"Wait wait wait! I think we should plan details, you know, work out a get-together. Did I mention there would be pancakes?" Was the almost desperate plea from Nora. Yang had to keep herself from barreling past the woman. Sun had told her to keep Yang from getting into trouble if she drank too much, but she would take things one step further. Yang couldn't keep doing this. Nora knew her as energetic and carefree, even as much as the orange-haired woman herself. The beer addict before her wasn't that Yang, and she most likely hadn't been for a long time.

"Look, I'll call you later about that, okay? I need to get back quick and I want to have a nightly drink. Just one," Yang said, her ersatz smile gone. Nora stopped bouncing for a split second, shocked by her friend's anger, but realized that it was to be expected almost as soon as the surprise hit and recovered.

"I came all the way out here, you know? I think the least you could do is humor me," Nora retorted with her normal cheeriness. She wouldn't make Sun's mistake; she wouldn't get hostile. Looking at Yang, she gave her best smile. She would be kind and controlled and never directly bring up her drinking. Even if her friend knew what she was up to, staying calm would leave her with no opening to treat her like she had Sun. However, for all of her careful planning, she still failed to predict what Yang would do next. She sighed, waved, and walked away.

"See you, Nora. I just remembered that Ruby wanted something from From Dust Till Dawn," she said, hurrying off. Her friend tried running after her, but lost the blonde in a rush of people near the entrance to the club. Sighing, downcast, Nora decided to look some more. Yang couldn't have gotten far if she was trying to find somewhere else to drink.

* * *

Yang angrily slammed the door to her and Ruby's home, putting her hand against it at the last second to prevent the door from fully closing and waking her sister up, gently shutting it instead. Crumpling the note she left and throwing it away, she stalked to her bed. She threw off her clothes with careless fury and then put on her pajamas and lay down to sleep, while ignoring the new pile of clothes she made that Ruby would doubtlessly clean. Nora had ruined everything. Yang couldn't go to another bar; she would be looking. With no alcohol in the house, as the blonde had no desire to get drunk in her sister's presence, she had no choice but to sleep. She had nightmares.

* * *

**Finished! This time, I went back in time a day and focused on drama in the city of Vale. There will be more Weiss to come in the next chapter though. This became, much to my surprise, a very Yang-centric chapter. I decided that her issues needed to escalate, slowly but surely, and so I gave her some conflicts. I feel that you need to build a character up to push them back down, and so that's what I tried to do. I gave Yang a reason to be happy and then tried my best to take it away. Feedback would be lovely, as always! Also, note the Remnant: The Game cameo from Welcome to Beacon. I'm just calling it that because that's what it was referred to on the wiki. That game needs to be made into a real thing pronto.**

**And guess who has a sister? Weiss does! Now I'm really torn as to whether I should add Winter to the story or not. Decisions, decisions. Also, guess who constantly amazes me with her character depth and multi-layered personality: Weiss does! My favorite part of A Minor Hiccup was when she was in the elevator, trying to put on a brave face. I feel like she was trying to appear as the perfect heiress her family expects her to be in case she had to talk to one of them. Childhood trauma is good for character development, as awful as that is to say. And finally: the new robots using the old ones as platforms during Ironwood's demonstration was a dick move. I've already decided that Ironwood is kind of a heartless jerk, just when I decided that I liked him in Welcome to Beacon. End of rant!**


	9. Chapter 9

Roman sat in a largely empty room save for a metal seat occupied by a tall, stocky man. He had a small brown goatee, intense brown eyes, and a head completely devoid of hair. The room was dark and so his dark clothes blended in well, while Roman's bright attire stood out.

"It's just like I said. I don't need to know your name or anything about you other than what I already do. I just need you to get in that prison and get to the filthy faunus. I gave you her picture, and that's a pretty damn recent one. You make sure that she knows that I sent you, and then you do whatever the hell you want, as long as she's begging to die by the end of it. I want her to suffer more than is considered humanly possible, do you understand me? And that doesn't just mean stabbing and hitting and burning and all that jazz. You can get more...intimate, if you really want to. Hell, I'd actually prefer if you do that. That stuff always freaks people out. Just don't kill her. Afterwards, my people will get you out of there and we can negotiate price. Or do you have something set?" The crime boss said with an informal air. The man before him didn't even bat an eyelash. He seemed completely unfazed by what he was being told.

"It all depends on how much fun I get out of her," he replied. Roman chuckled, a piercing, sinister sound that made the man raise an eyebrow ever so slightly. He knew who Roman was and what he could do to people if they got on his bad side, and came into the meeting wary. However, he found that things were going in his favor. He hadn't abducted anyone in a prison before, and it had been ages since his target was an attractive young woman. But there was one thing that gave him pause.

"And this is the woman who ripped out your tooth and stabbed you in the eye with it? The one who tortured you and killed thirty of your mooks?" Roman's smile turned upside-down at the man's words, and he clutched his cane like it was the edge of a cliff and he was dangling from it.

"...Yes, she is. But not when you're done with her. Then, she'll be just another victim. Got it?" At this, the man grinned.

"Got it."

* * *

Weiss' second day in Forever Fall went a lot better than the first. Only two people were injured in any serious way and there were no casualties. She felt a lot more confident than she did the day before, as did her entire team. Even Ursula was in a better mood, and even got a few kill shots in. While her team celebrated in the jet, Weiss stood in the forest, staring at nothing. Forever Fall brought back some memories. She remembered Jaune killing his first Grimm, and remembered feeling annoyed that she, Ruby and Pyrrha had just watched. She had wanted to kill the Grimm and get it over with, having no interest in Jaune's personal struggles or self-confidence issues. As she thought about that day, her thoughts turned from it to Jaune. She heard that he wasn't quite himself since his mistake cost Ruby her legs. It wasn't a leap in logic to assume that he blamed himself. While not high on the list of people Weiss was concerned for, he was still a good friend and she knew that he was never the most confident in his skills. She had insulted him many a time and still did, but she did respect him. He'd come a long way since Beacon, just as they all had. And as if being driven along in a thought train, Weiss found herself thinking of home in general. She thought of all the friends she had there and all of the problems they had, and for the first time since she left, she found herself feeling empty at their separation. She missed them.

"Weiss," Garth said from behind her. She had barely noticed him walk up behind her. Lost in thought as she was, she dared not take her mind off of the area around her. Grimm had strange ways of popping up when it wasn't expected.

"Hello. What brings you out here?" Weiss asked.

"I was wondering if you'd like to join us back in the ship. Surely, you're not afraid of a little celebration." The former heiress sighed. She certainly wasn't afraid of celebration. She'd been exposed to enough of it back at Beacon, what with Yang and Ruby on her team. She'd even enjoyed most of it.

"I'll be in shortly."

"Shortly?"

"You're not my father. I'll come to the ship when I see fit," Weiss said forcefully, ending the conversation.

"Alright," Garth replied, walking away slowly. She was growing uneasy about his attachment to her. She didn't want to talk to him about it, for fear of igniting some sort of argument. She had no fear of Garth at all, so far less skilled than her as he was, but wanted her team to be loyal to her. Right now, she decided, any kind of loyalty was better than none, even if it bordered on fanatic.

* * *

Jaune woke up to the cold and rough touch of Pyrrha, who shook his shoulder fiercely. He looked next to him to see that his outstretched arm, having been draped around her before they went to sleep, now lay on the bed.

"Wake up, Jaune," she said. The blonde shot up, and Pyrrha pulled her hand back.

"Sorry...I guess my hands are cold."

"That, and you were crushing my shoulder. Sometimes, being your boyfriend is painful," Jaune sighed. He was smiling.

"Come on, tough guy. We've got breakfast to eat," Pyrrha replied, tossing him some clothes. He caught them out of the air and got out of bed, his muscular, powerful body exposed. The redhead laughed at his boxers; they were covered with the Schnee Dust Company logo.

"What? Weiss got them for me on my birthday last year," he said.

"I wonder if she knows you actually wear them."

"Well, it's not like I'm ever gonna tell her in casual conversation. I can just see it now: 'Hey Weiss, guess what? I wear underwear with your family logo on it! Pretty cool, huh? How about you? Do you wear undies with the Arc family crest on them?' And then she glares at me and says something mean," Jaune said as he put on his clothes, drawing another laugh from Pyrrha. As he pulled his shirt over his head, she walked up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Why settle for underwear when I can have a real life Arc living with me?"

* * *

As Pyrrha and Jaune drove away in their separate cars, Jaune's being another hand-me-down from his family and Pyrrha's being a car she bought a few years ago, the blonde Hunter began to think about Ruby and Yang. He had decided that he'd visit them today, as it was as good a day as any. Being a team leader, he had paperwork to fill out, and so stayed later than normal Hunters and Huntresses, but he would get out early enough to drive to their place and make sure that they knew how sorry he was and how he'd try and had tried to make it up to them. Both of them. Yang was just as invested in Ruby's bright future as Ruby herself; her sister's inability to use her legs hurt her just as much as it did Ruby. Jaune thought he'd give Ruby a heads-up, as today marked the day that she'd start working with the First Division as a maintenance person. She'd be repairing and, knowing her, tweaking every weapon that needed it. Jaune hoped that his sword wouldn't turn into a flamethrower when she was done with it, and that thought made him chuckle.

* * *

Jaune had his team gathered around the briefing room. They all sat at rotating metal chairs with black foam padding, some propping their feet up on the smooth wooden table. The walls around them were a very light brown, and in front of them was an empty wall that would be filled with screens and holograms when they were needed. A bright chandelier hung above them, shining light on the room. At the end of the table, smiling brightly at all of her teammates, was Ruby. She had Crescent Rose leaned up against a wall, telling Yang that it would do her sweetheart good to be back. Yang, although worried that someone might try to steal it and Ruby would be left weaponless, let her bring it. She had driven Ruby up and then went to her own Division, wishing her sister a great first day and then ruffling her hair, pulling her hood over her head, and pushing her into the meeting room.

"Alright, so, as you know, we have a new maintenance person in our group, and she's the best we could ever hope for. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Ruby Rose!" Jaune said with a flourish, and the brunette waved.

"Hey there, fellow Hunters and Huntresses! Last we met, I was your leader. Now I take care of your weapons. But we are still brothers and sisters in arms! And...I was going somewhere with that, I promise. Anyway, it's great to see you all again and I look forward to working with you!" Everyone waved back and went up to greet her, offering congratulations. Nora even brought a few cookies that Ren had made; he'd always had a soft spot for Ruby. He admired her skill and was reminded of Nora by her energy.

"Alright, now that we're all up to speed on our new and improved weapons person, we can begin the daily grind. Everyone is patrolling as usual. Group A, you take the outskirts of the city. Group B, take the Emerald Forest. Group C, you're at the edges of Forever Fall. And in reply to Nora's suggestion that we think of cooler names than Groups A, B, and C, I'm all ears," Jaune said kindly. Ruby could tell that people liked him. He was approachable, intelligent, and patient. Seeing him up there, talking to his team, reminded Ruby of the good old days and she looked down, pretending to eat a cookie. In reality, she'd finished them all long ago. Thinking of the time when she had her legs and her position as leader wasn't pleasant. It reminded her even more of how empty she felt below her waist, and how empty that left her inside. She'd lost more than just her legs that day; she'd lost a part of who she was. A Huntress, a leader, a fighter. She couldn't be that person anymore.

"Well, I think we should have Group pancakes, group sloths, and group Ruby!" At this, the younger woman glanced up.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I like that. Group pancakes, group sloths...and group Ruby. In honor of our former leader, the greatest leader we've ever had. No offense to Weiss, she was good too," Jaune said, smiling at Ruby. She beamed back.

"You don't have to do that! There are a lot cooler group names than Ruby," she said.

"Nope," Jaune replied.

"It's a little late to start throwing my own words back at me, Jaune." The blonde chuckled.

"Well, it's settled. Group A is group pancakes, group B is group sloths, and group C is group Ruby. Anyone have any objections?" No one spoke out.

"Okay then. Ruby, I have some stuff for you..." Jaune trailed off as the groups went off to do their usual patrol. The blonde pulled, from under the table, a binder full of blueprints.

"Since no one's weapons need maintenance, I figured I'd give you these so you know what to do when they come in for repairs," he said. Ruby grinned, snatching them up.

"Well, I already know about Crocea Mors and Magnhild. I studied them in secret when we were at Beacon," she said. Jaune sighed.

"Of course you did...say, around our third year, my sword and shield got lighter. Was that...?"

"Yep, that was me. Oh, and before you go...I just want to say that you're a great leader," Ruby told her friend. She meant it. Jaune beamed.

"Well, I'm not as good as the original. And Ruby? I'm gonna ambush you and Yang tonight. I...I need to tell you something. Don't worry, it's nothing to do with either of you," he said, his tone turning serious. Ruby nodded, still smiling.

"See you," she said. Jaune waved and hurried after his group. Ruby watched him leave, looked at the blueprints, and against her mind's wishes, her eyes began to tear up and she silently cried.

* * *

"There are twelve grown Nevermores circling a massive nest. The nest is in an open area; there's a circle of trees around the perimeter and there are clear skies within that. We're gonna be doing some heavy exterminating," Ursula reported to Weiss as they stood in a circle of thick trees.

"How long do you think it'll take to finish them off?" The former heiress asked, hoping they could finish the group in time to help her with the Nevermores. She was doubtful she could take twelve of them by herself, strong as she was. The armies of Grimm, more than anything, had strength in numbers. No matter how powerful humanity got, they would always be outnumbered. Their mortal enemies seemed to come from nowhere.

"I'm inclined to say half an hour at the most. How long do you think the full-grown ones should take to bring down?" Urusla asked, and Weiss bit her lip.

"I think I can manage around the same time as you, if I can do it at all. If I'm in trouble, I might pull one of you out of battle. Now, before we go in, let's review our strategy. We'll get in close and I'll jump out at the full-grown Nevermores first. I can surprise them, and you can all run in to exterminate the adolescents. We'll finish our jobs and whoever does so first helps the other. Any ranged unit who runs out of Dust during the fight must retreat. Now, be sure not to underestimate your opponent. Their wings aren't as developed as their full-grown counterparts, but they can still fly, hurt, and even kill you with them. If we can do this quickly, we can get back to Vale by eight. Just make sure it isn't in a body bag. Now...let's go. And remember: I'll be in the sky. I won't hear you cry for help or see you. You're all on your own. Make smart decisions," she said. slipping between the trees. Garth, Lilac, and Mona followed her, the melee units followed them, and the ranged units trailed behind. She had eleven teammates left fighting; one was dead, two were injured, and one had no weapon. They were all tired and they had used a good amount of ammo. Unlike yesterday, she expected casualties. Also unlike yesterday, she wasn't sure if she wouldn't be among them.

* * *

"Now." Before anyone on her team could even blink, Weiss launched herself into the air with a glyph and flew towards the nearest Nevermore. A swipe of Myrtenaster created two blue energy beams that curved towards the Nevermore's wings, and they were frozen. Unable to break free, the massive Grimm fell to the ground, the group of smaller Nevermore scattering as it fell on its head and died instantly. Weiss hopped higher into the air, standing on a glyph when she'd gotten enough height to reach the other Nevermores. They gazed at her, screeching, as they circled the small woman like vultures. Beneath her, her team had reached the adolescents and were beginning to kill them. A few Nevermores hurtled down towards them, their cries growing louder, but Weiss conjured a glyph right in front of two of them and they slammed into it, dazed and weakened. Using her glyph, she hurtled towards one and by using her violet Dust, delivered a powerful strike and decapitated the beast. Switching to the other, she did the same. The third Nevermore flew at her team, preparing to shoot out feathers, and Weiss fell towards it, using her glyphs for added speed. Landing on the Grimm, she held onto its feathers and tapped it with Myrtenaster. Ice spread along its wings as it tried to fly upwards, and it fell. Using a repulsion glyph so it would hit the ground faster, Weiss turned and found herself staring up at hails of feathers. Using a few massive glyphs, she blocked them and they bounced off the glyphs and fell down around her. However, she wasn't done with them yet. Placing glyphs under the falling feathers and herself to keep from falling, she redirected them. They turned towards the Grimm and shot at them with a level of force the Grimm couldn't hope to possess, and two were skewered by them. Five Nevermores were down, and there were seven to go. One came out of nowhere and charged Weiss, who jumped over it with a well-placed glyph. She shot at it, chasing the beast across the sky with glyph-powered leaps. Two more came at her, and she flipped the first one and shot under the second, angling her body so that it flew over her just barely, allowing her to slide under it with a glyph and use red Dust to set it on fire with a quick slash of Myrtenaster. The two had flown at her at the same time, and she saw them get just close enough so that the Aura-powered flames could flicker from one and land on the other. They both screeched, unable to see where they were going although protected from the flame by their tough feathers, and almost collided with some of their kin. This gave Weiss time to see what was going on below her.

* * *

The group was doing fairly well until the giant Nevermore attacked. The melee units were taking small hits, nothing to keep them out of the fight. The special units were doing well as always, and the two ranged units were focused less on killing and more on providing covering fire for their allies, taking out any Grimm that might be near. However, a shadow was soon seen above them, and a hail of feathers flew at the group like bullets raining from the sky. Mona quickly tried to teleport whoever she could out of the way, but it wasn't enough. Three of the melee units were skewered immediately, and Mona herself screamed in pain as most of her right arm was blown clean off from the sheer force of the feather. Throwing a chakram to give herself some space, it cut through a few adolescents and she then teleported to catch it. Turning it into a shield as some of the Grimm hurled feathers at her, she deflected the projectiles and teleported behind the adolescents who shot them at her and punched through their heads into pieces with two concentrated Aura blasts. She then went back to her shield and caught it before it fell to the ground, turning it back into a chakram.

"I need help! I'm losing...losing blood here!" The normally shy woman bellowed. She was timid in social life, but one couldn't be timid in battle. One couldn't be a White Fang member without being a survivor. She sighed, seeing no one around, and then saw the full-grown Nevermore coming in for a second attack. She didn't dare teleport again. She was losing too much blood and was too weak. She had no choice but to wait and dodge as best she could. Around her, however, adolescents began to swarm, and she knew that wouldn't be easy. As the beast reared back for a volley of wings, a massive ice blast encased it and a giant glyph appeared that launched it high into the air.

"Can you teleport out of there?!" Weiss shouted, falling to the battlefield with a wild, panicked look on her face. Her eyes became the size of dinner plates when she saw Mona's arm.

"I...I can't..."

"Then give me your hand." Mona did as Weiss instructed, and she was sped away from the battlefield. Behind them, the massive, ice-encased Grimm fell to the ground and shattered, crushing some of the adolescents beneath it.

"Get to the drop point. That's your only hope; you won't be of any help here in your state," the former heiress said with concern.

"Thanks...I can make it. Get back to the fight...you're...needed there," was the reply. Weiss nodded sadly and flew towards the battle to see green lights harmlessly slam into the full-grown Nevermores. Mona looked at her go, and slowly moved through the forest, crying as she went. Her Aura couldn't keep her conscious long enough for her to survive. Today, she would die. Her sobs racked her body, and she sometimes stumbled. She wouldn't live, it was almost certain. There was almost no way for her to survive long enough. The drop point, where some healing supplies were stored in case of emergencies, was minutes away; she probably wouldn't make it, and Weiss knew that. But if there was a chance she could live, even if just a small one, she would take it. She would survive; she wouldn't die as a criminal for doing what she believed in, for fighting for her kin.

"I just have to tell myself...I'm...going to live. I can...survive. I can..." Mona stumbled and quickly got back up, her injured arm grazing a tree. She hissed in pain and kept going. The tears kept falling.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?!" Weiss snarled at Garth. He was attacking a full-grown Nevermore to no effect with his laser blades, and ignoring the fighting with his comrades around him.

"I'm keeping them at bay!"

"Your efforts are worthless. Go back to helping your team!" Weiss shot herself into the air to fight the remaining full-grown Grimm; the ones she'd set on fire were causing enough distraction so that the others weren't swooping down on her team immediately. The flaming Grimm collided with each other, leaving them free to be hurtled towards the ground through glyphs and killed on impact. There were now four left, but Weiss couldn't hit them. They were going too fast and she couldn't get a clear shot. Reloading her ice Dust cartridge, she prepared to chase a nearby Grimm that was heading towards her before noticing a green light hit it with no effect. Weiss looked down to see Garth back to fighting the full-grown Nevermores. She shot away from the Grimm and landed behind him, felling an adolescent he hadn't noticed.

"I told you to help your teammates!" She spat.

"You are my teammate. You're my leader! Taking on twelve Nevermores by yourself is insane, even for you!" Garth replied, anger present in his voice.

"Help the people down here," Weiss said simply before taking off at the Grimm she'd originally targeted. However, it was now preparing to fire feathers down upon the group, and she had to get them out of the way. She shot herself back down. As the black storm of projectiles came closer at an alarming rate, she noticed Garth trying to run. He was right in the middle of where the feathers would land and she didn't see him getting away quickly enough. Hoping the others would be alright, she landed next to him and held the man by the torso, using a glyph to shoot herself forward and through a small opening in the adolescent group. However, the feathers were right behind her. She felt herself fly forward and then felt a sharp object pierce her flesh. She could almost look behind her in slow motion to see the feather as it cut through her.

"Weiss!"

* * *

Jaune sighed as he pulled up to Ruby and Yang's house. He noticed that the car was gone, and assumed that Yang was out. He was quite relieved; he would now have a chance to talk to Ruby by herself. As much as he wanted to see the blonde, he wasn't sure how she'd react to him talking to Ruby. She'd gotten protective about her, he heard, and didn't think she'd react well to her sister talking to the man who may as well have confined her in her wheelchair. But he knew Ruby would be different, at least. He knew she'd listen to him. He made his way to the door and knocked a few times, waiting half a minute before Ruby wheeled up to the door and opened it.

"Hey, Jaune! I notice your sword's a little worn. Are you taking good enough care of it?" She asked, beckoning for the older man to come in. Jaune sighed.

"I'm a lot more worried about you right now, Ruby. You just walked right back into a life you had to leave behind, and I want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine, Jaune. I'm loving being in the whole Hunter and Huntress scene again!" Ruby seemed genuinely happy, but Jaune wasn't convinced. He knew that, more than anything, Ruby wanted her friends to be happy. And when it came to them, she was as honest as could be. But when it came to herself, she'd lie. Because that's how it was with her. The people she loved took absolute precedence. Her happiness came second.

* * *

**More stuff happening! Weiss is getting injured, things are looking bad for Blake, and Ruby and Jaune are going to have an emotional conversation about things and stuff. Also, a lot of crying. I guess I was feeling in a sad mood. And Weiss wasn't kidding about valuing your own life; she's giving Mona even the slightest chance in hopes that it pays off. We'll see how that turns out! She's not one of the more prominent minor characters, but hopefully people will care enough about her so that her little scene won't just be an interruption from the hopefully-epic fight. I've always had a problem with fights, and the fact that I tend to write them in massive paragraphs probably doesn't help. I'd really like feedback on the battle, if anyone feels so inclined. As well as anything else, of course. **

**Also, while I like to keep these author's notes RWBY and story-related, I just have to say: The Legend of Korra season 3 finale was SO SAD! Now, there are spoilers ahead, so don't read any further if you haven't seen it!**

**I mean, I liked seeing Korra in her badass Avatar state, and it's cool to see that Mako and Bolin have come a long way as benders since season 1 (still not a lot of action from Asami; that's a shame), and the heroes did win, but come on! They put Korra in a wheelchair! It's like what I did to Ruby, except a lot more sad. I mean, this is Korra we're talking about here! She's been gung-ho about saving the world and being the Avatar from day one, and she's done the very best she can. No matter what, she's never given up, and she's really matured this season. She's always been driven and tough, and seeing her look so weak and depressed hurts a LOT. And it's not just her body; those hallucinations really did a number on her. I think she reached her limit with that kidnapping. And what's more, now we have Jinora and the airbenders doing her job! Now imagine how that feels. You've just been told that the world doesn't need you, and now you have people out there ready to do what you've trained your entire life to do and put everything you had into doing. Her mental state has actually suffered even more than her body. Well, at least she's got Asami. And yes, I ship that. Only recently, but still. And was I the only one who was disappointed that Mako and Bolin didn't get a scene with Korra at the end? They were the original new team Avatar! No offense to Asami because she's awesome, but she wasn't there from the beginning. I just wanted to see the brothers react to Korra in her new state. Okay, rant over. Until next chapter!**


End file.
